Best of Gregory Isaacs 1 & 2
Of the many "Best of" Isaacs collections on the market, this 20-track round-up is the finest, showcasing reggae's Cool Ruler at his most sublime--before innumerable busts and battles with that pesky two-decade-long drug habit chipped away at his huge talent. As a writer of love and social protest lyrics, Isaacs rivals Bob Marley and Bob Andy; as a vocal stylist, he's Jamaica's Sinatra, always doing it his way. "Special Guest," "Breaking Up," "Double Attack," "My Number One," "Tear Drops," "Tumbling Tears," "Border," that unforgettable cover of Hortense Ellis's "Weeping Willow"--they're all here, interpreted with Mr. Isaac's signature laid back sensitivity, and without a single filler to break the mood.--Elena Oumano