100% Dynamite!＜Yellow Vinyl＞

North London's Soul Jazz Records kicks off their superb compilation series with a slow-beat, funk-laden hike primarily through the revered vaults of Clement "Coxsone" Dodd's Studio One imprint and the loving exposure of authentic reggae standards will have even the palest of whitey start rhyming in patois. Surely, Nick Hornby types will get a kick out of showing friends just how crucial styles crossed the waters to and from Jamaica: "Green Mango" by Skatalites leader Tommy McCook is slow-burning jazz with Rastafarian intent, "Popcorn" by the Upsetters is a relaxed James Brown funk-athon, and "We Need Love" by Johnny Osbourne is heartwarming soul reggae. Later installments would have less reliance on Dodd's production feats, but even people who cringe at compilations would have to admit this is still worth scouring over time and time again. A compilation never resting on its laurels, 100% Dynamite fuses an intelligent reminder of a genre's roots and influences with some unabashedly cracking tunes. ~ Dean Carlson