Morgan Heritage - Strictly Roots (CTBC/Heartbeat Europe/Rounder)

'Strictly Roots' left yours truly with mixed emotions, because the track list contains both songs that undoubtedly belong to the best the band ever recorded, as some of the biggest stinkers we've ever heard Morgan Heritage produce. Opener and title track 'Strictly Roots' certainly falls in that first category, and 'Perform And Done', a version over Sean B & Don Chandler's Maxfield Avenue riddim, and 'We Are Warriors' are rock solid tracks as well. The dubstep-vibes of 'Light It Up' and bubblegum-reggae of 'So Amazing' ("I hart you ...", really guys?) we could still stomach, but for the euro trash pop of 'Sunday Morning' we really needed the skip button. No reggae, but none the less contagious is 'Keep On Jammin'', a revamp of Marvin Gaye's 'Got To Give It Up'. Morgan Heritage actually invited quite the guest list for this album: in addition to fellow Jamaicans Shaggy, Jo Mersa Marley and Chronixx, American reggae artists like Eric Rachmany (Rebelution), J Boog and Bobby Lee (Soldiers Of Jah Army) also lent a hand. Unbalanced album that doesn't quite live up to its title.