Reggae Greats – Strictly For Lovers – Island Records

Warm, late-night lovers rock is the frame here, with the bass kept plush and the melodies sweet enough to carry the whole thing without ever tipping into syrup. Island’s Strictly For Lovers gathers 12 cuts from 12 different voices, and the sequence leans firmly toward romance rather than roots aggression, moving from Aswad’s “Roots Rockin’” and Barry Biggs’ “Wide Awake In A Dream” into smoother turns from Dennis Brown, Jimmy Riley, Junior Tucker and Ken Boothe. It’s the kind of compilation that reads like a snapshot of Island’s reggae roster in the mid-’80s, when the label was packaging these songs as part of its Reggae Greats series, and the mood stays consistent even as the singers shift. The final word belongs to Dennis Brown’s “Have You Ever Been In Love, ” which brings the set’s emotional centre into sharp focus.