DENNIS BROWN
Ultimate Collection (Hip-O)
Reviewed by DJ Johnson

---

This is a fantastic single-disc collection of one of the greatest voices reggae has ever known. Dennis Brown, who passed away much too young just last year, left a recorded legacy a mile long, so make no mistake: no single-disc collection could sum him up. The "Ultimate" tag must be judged only in this context. You can argue all day for inclusion of what isn't here, but you'd be hard pressed to argue against what is. "If I Had The World" may be one of Brown's two or three definitive pop-reggae vocal performances, "The Prophet Rides Again" sports grooves that are among his deepest, and "Westbound Train" is one of the purest examples of his sound during the early 70s. There are no questionable tracks here at all. It clocks in at just over an hour, and it's one of the most musically satisfying hours you'll ever spend. A suggestion: pick this up along with The Prime Of Dennis Brown 1973-1995 (Music Club). That disc is also packed with great reggae, there's only one song that appears on both, and they each fill the gaps of the other. If you can only spring for one, make it this one, as it's the better of the two, but I'm tellin' ya, it's like they were made for each other.

Track List:

Love Has Found Its Way * Have You Ever * If I Had The World * Cosmic Force * The Prophet Rides Again * Your Man * Hold On To What You've Got * Tribulation * Revolution - Pt.1 * Here I Come * Westbound Train * Money In My Pocket * Wolf & Leopards * So Long Rastafari * Liberation * I Need Your Love (Rasta Children) * The World Is Troubled * Sitting And Watching

© 2000 - DJ Johnson