3.0 out of 5 stars
Toe to Toe: Skill .vs. Precision, January 6, 2006
This review is from: Toe 2 Toe Volume 5 (Audio CD)
The issue with compilations (particularly in reggae music where so much of the shelvespace is flooded with them) is and has always been song selection. First and foremost the quality of the songs and secondly the source of them. If you have a compilation with great songs that are available on many other albums, then you have a problem. Likewise, unheard average or below-average material is still average or below-average material.
Such is the case in Jetstar & Charm's Toe to Toe #5. A lot of average'ness'. However, it also suffers from the fact that these songs are also found (unsurprisingly) on other albums (by the same label) which gives it somewhat of a low effort project.
Featured here are reggae superstars, Sizzla Kalonji and Junior Kelly. Sizzla is the naturally gifted dynamo who can pretty much stop and compose a tune out of thin air no matter the time of day. Kelly, on the other hand, is a slower paced (but more consistent) artist who carefully takes his time on all of his output to always put his best foot forward. While the success level of Kalonji has to date alluded Kelly, he is still amongst the most revered and respected artist of modern roots reggae.
This album doesn't draw from the absolute best of the artists (now that would have been a very good album). Instead it flows from the most recent work the artists have done for the UK based JetStar (both of whom routinely release albums there). The best song here is probably Sizzla's Some How, although Kelly's Exile is not too far behind, neither is Kalonji's slightly amped but still slightly special Out to Nothing, which somewhat reminds of older Sizzla-styled djaying over a modern dancehall riddim. Also check Kelly's Straight Up and Black People and Keep in Touch from Kalonji.
Overall, in a Toe to Toe fashion this one is not a fight of the best efforts from the artists certainly. But it is very 'competitive' (wouldn't we love to hear a Kalonji-Junior Kelly combination tune after all these years?). In the end, its an average and unspectacular project to be best appreciated by those who want to get a feel for the artists. In the battle, Sizzla lands the heavier shots, but Junior Kelly lands more:
Split Decision: Draw!
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No