Sugar Minott - Reggae Legends (4 CD) (2010)

This box set serves several functions for the fan of roots and early dancehall reggae: first, and most importantly, it makes four classic Sugar Minott albums available on CD for the first time: Rydim (1985), Time Longer Than Rope (1985), Buy Off the Bar (1984), and Rockers Awards Winners (1984), the latter a "showcase" split album shared with fellow dancehall superstar Leroy Smart. Second, and almost as important, it makes these albums available at a budget price ($26 for a four-disc set). Now granted, the music on these four CDs would have fit very easily on two, but the four-disc distribution reflects the label's desire to present each album as a miniature version of the original LP release, complete with a cardboard sleeve that partly duplicates the original cover art. The music itself is almost uniformly excellent, thanks in part to the sweetness and power of Sugar's trademark croon, a style that conforms equally well to the demands of a lover's plea ("If I Didn't Love You"), a reverent declaration of religious devotion ("Jah You Make Me Sing," "Jah Is on My Side"), or a sufferer's lament ("Ease Up Mr. Customs Man," "Frontline"), and in part to the consistently rock-solid rhythms provided by backing bands led by Sly Dunbar and Robbie Shakespeare. It's frankly a crime that these albums haven't been issued on CD previously, but to have them finally reissued all together at this price almost makes it worth the wait.