CD: Mr Vegas The Hits

Artiste: Mr Vegas

Rating: 4 stars out of five

There is one good thing about a 'greatest hits', 'hits' or 'best of' compilation - it usually has most of the songs one would want to listen to from the artiste.

Mr Vegas The Hits is no exception. It includes almost all his hits and spans the decade from 1998-2008.

The album, which Greensleeves released late last year (perhaps to coincide with Mr Vegas' announced indecision about whether to retire from music) is filled with the best songs from Mr Vegas during the era.

Unique voice

It also reminds us of Mr Vegas uniqueness as an artiste, in that even in deejaying, his voice has melody, something not many dancehall artistes can boast of.

It starts off with the internationally successful Heads High which enjoyed crossover status in the United Kingdom, and ends with his breakthrough hit, Nike Air.

Mr Vegas The Hits spans the era in which oral sex was anathema, touches the dancing era of the genre and includesthe ever-present girl and ganja tunes.

Of course, starting the project with Heads High was only practical. Heads High preaches female independence in the dancehall context, where a woman who is able to adorn herself in the latest fashion and never 'goes downtown' is glorified over one who is unable to meet those expectations.

Don't bow

Yu Sure (Hands Up) also expresses a similar sentiment, but is more expressive in its opposition to oral sex.

Other girl tunes, such as, Hot Gal Today with Sean Paul (another crossover success), the playful Girls Time, the comical Taxi Fare with Mr Lexx, the scandalous She's A Ho and the cheeky Pull Up on Scatta'sCoolie Dancerhythm,are also present.

The dancing era of this decade is also represented with the outrageous Hot Wuk, a dance which demonstrates female behaviour during a painful 'romping' session.

The jigging continues when Mr Vegas encourages dancers and party patrons alike to Tek Weh Yuhself, a song representing the dance of the same name. Mr Vegas alsoshows his serious side on Rise and Do You Know.

The compilation is capped with the ganja tunes, Under Mi Sensi, done in tandem with Alozade and Hollow Point and Bun It,which has a contribution from Elephant.

Although it includes a summary of Mr Vegas' time in dancehall, anyone who listens will surely say that Mr Vegas The Hits could have been a double disc set to better capture the artiste's contribution to dancehall.

Track Listing

1. Heads High 2. Tek Weh Yuhself 3. Yu Sure (Hands Up) 4 Jack It Up 5 Girls Time 6 Do You Know7 Under Mi Sensi featuring Alozade and Hollow Point 8 Pull Up 9 Taxi Fare featuring Mr Lexx 10 Hot Wuk11 Rise12 Latest News 13 Hot Gal Today featuring Sean Paul 14 She's A Ho 15 Jacket 16 She's A Ho 17 Bun It featuring Elephant Man 18 Nike Air

- Leighton Williams