The Reggae Collection

was the first American singer to incorporate rhythms, and as such deserves a lot of credit for paving the way for the acceptance of bona fide Jamaican performers. His own - concoctions, though, were often rather watery in comparison to the real thing. brings together 20 of the -style tracks he cut between 1968 and the mid-'70s, including his hits and ; the version of is an alternate take. This leans too heavily on his 1972-1975 material without enough of his late-'60s work; the small hit is missing, and the delightfully light and soaring towers over most everything else here. Almost half the tracks were previously unreleased or previously unavailable in the U.S. ~ Richie Unterberger