Barrington Levy's discography is not short of anthologies and other compilations, some of them uneven. After the essential "Teach the youths", released in 2008, which put the spotlight on his Joe Gibbs productions, VP Records, through its 17 North Parade label, delivers a new collection of the singer's hits: "Sweet Reggae Music", devoted to the period 1979-1984, which packs no fewer than 40 tracks into a double CD.
In 1979, Barrington Levy was just 15 (as the lovely sleeve shows), but he proved precocious. That year he released four LPs, all produced by Junjo Lawes, including the essential "Englishman", recorded at Channel One with the Roots Radics. This winning combination (with Scientist at the mix) provides the backbone of the compilation, even though productions by Linval Thompson and George Phang also feature.
So there is no avoiding the singer's great classics, which laid the milestones of his discography: the unavoidable Shine Eye Gal, Collie Weed, A Ya We Deh, Poor Man Style, Prison Oval Rock, Black Roses and of course Here I Come and Under Me Sensi, which came out in 1984.
That said, there are still a few rarities among this crowd of classics, starting with a number of tracks unreleased on CD (Whom Shall I Be Afraid Of, Praise His Name, Pon Your Toe, Tomorrow Is Another Day), 12" mixes of The Winner and Tribute To Moa Anbessa (with Jah Thomas), or the two previously unreleased tracks Black Hen Chicken and The Letter Song. Although these unreleased tracks are somewhat diluted in the sheer volume of titles, "Sweet Reggae Music" nonetheless makes for a good, low-cost introduction to Barrington Levy's long discography.
