Fat Eyes

The Fat Eyes label is one that will be unfamiliar to many American reggae fans, and yet producers Collin "Bulby" York and Lynford "Fatta" Marshall have been releasing hit records on that imprint in Jamaica for years. The list of artists who have recorded under the aegis of Fat Eyes is a remarkable one: Sean Paul, Wayne Wonder, and Shaggy all worked with York and Marshall before becoming international superstars, and such respected artists as Sizzla, Capleton, Dawn Penn, and Beenie Man have availed themselves of the pair's engineering prowess as well. This two-for-the-price-of-one compilation brings together material from Fat Eyes' back catalog, much of which has not been released in the U.S. before. Not everything on these two discs is spectacular, but there is more than enough top-notch material to make them worth the single-disc price. Particular highlights include the startlingly rootsy "Jah Works" by the fine young singjay Terror Fabulous, an excellent combination track titled "Cry & Bawl" and featuring gruff declamations from both Bounty Killerand Tanya Stephens, and a brilliant appearance from the legendary harmony trio the Mighty Diamonds, on which they appropriate the bassline from the Police's "Bed's Too Big Without You" and apply it to a sufferer's anthem called "Slave Ship." Recommended. ~ Rick Anderson, All Music Guide