Dennis Brown

When it was recorded in the late '90s, this album was conceived as a tribute by Dennis Brown to his friend and fellow reggae superstar Gregory Isaacs. As it turned out, Brown tragically died shortly after making the album, so it ends up acting as sort of a tribute to both of them. Its 11 tracks were all significant hits for Isaacs, and Brown does a good job (for the most part) of putting his own smooth, elegant stamp on them; he's helped by producer and multi-instrumentalist Errol "Flabba" Holt, who leaves his Dub Syndicate eccentricities at the studio door in favor of a stripped-down digital-roots style. The album opens horribly, with a painfully out-of-tune and generally uninspired rendition of "Border," but it quickly improves: Brown's version of the classic "Love Is Overdue" is spectacular, and he's in top form on "All I Have Is Love" and "Front Door" as well. It was inevitable that he'd cover "Night Nurse," and equally so that his version wouldn't touch Isaacs'. But his album-closing rendition of "Tune In" is quite good. This isn't exactly an essential purchase, but fans of both artists will find a lot to enjoy here. ~ Rick Anderson, All Music Guide