Music is Our Business

Not many names from the golden age of dancehall in the 80s seem worthy of a Best Of. The obvious reason is that there weren't many years between Bob Marley's death and reggae's digital revolution, and only a few pioneering artists anticipated mechanical drum loops and simplistic vocals in a sellable way. Yellowman and Eek-a-Mouse deserve a dedication. So too does legendary singjay Tenor Saw, whose death at 21 in 1988 robbed further chances for digital experimentation. But the career of chocolate-smooth vocalist Cocoa Tea, who has been making music since 1985, is only really of interest to the most dedicated of dancehall fans.

The album starts strong, with ‘Easy Nuh’ and ‘Things in Life’, showcasing Cocoa Tea's marriage of soul and dancehall with a breezy, tropical beach-style warmth. It's hard not to bop along. But as the backing tracks get more digital, Cocoa Tea sounds at best like a poor man's Gregory Isaacs, at worst like someone trying really hard at karaoke. Consider his use of Tenor Saw's classic ‘Ring the Alarm’ on ‘Magnet and Steel’; the original is great due to Tenor Saw's gritty, playful lyrics, while Cocoa Tea seems at home with easy romantic clichés.