Collie Buddz

Collie Buddz is an in-demand reggae vocalist, producer and all around up-and-coming talent who's scored a major-label debut with Sony. Nevertheless, as a white dude with a cultivated patois who reps Bermuda, he's got a lot to prove—not to mention the abysmal track record U.S. major labels have with promoting reggae artists. With this self-titled debut, though, Buddz shows he might be up to the task.

The lead single, "Come Around," is a lumbering, breezy burner—a big tune built for the summer months. "Blind to You" is equally heavy but sweeter, calling out haters everywhere. Here, Buddz displays his ability to smoothly shift gears between gravelly chatting and beguiling, almost vocodered falsetto that's more Daft Punk than Lovers Rock. He's got a versatile voice with pop potential, recalling Sean Paul. He continues his streak on "Defend Your Own," stepping up the tempo with a delicately plucked guitar and a breathless guest verse from Krayzie Bone.

The next set is "for the ladies," and ranges from the lovely but slightly overdone "Tomorrow's Another Day" to the dancefloor crack of "Wild Out." From there, the album starts to go south in short order, with saccharine duets with Paul Wall and Yung Berg, and syrupy hymns to sinsemilla. Toward the end, Buddz snaps back into form, shrugging off one-drop rhythms and burbling basslines for a pair of scorching dancehall burners. "My Everything" hijacks Bowie's "Let's Dance" for a temperature-raising ride, while "Love Deh" navigates deep bass chasms of Massive B's No Borders rhythm.

—Toby Warner
07.10.07

When Collie Buddz's debut single, "Come Around," came around, it catapulted this unknown white Bermudian into the Jamaican dance hall charts by first conquering Europe and then making an impression on American urban radio. It usually doesn't work like that, but this "Legalize It" for the Beenie Man and Akon generation was so instantly infectious and gloriously speaker-rumbling that the sometimes fickle JA dancehall massive had to let this outsider in. With his debut album, Buddz proves he deserves it. This is partially due to the way he rides the seemingly impossible jumble of genres his showcase of a debut throws at him. The Shakira-flavored "Mamacita" lives a couple doors down from the bravado-driven street track "Defend Your Own" featuring rapper Krayzie Bone, while further down the road there's the righteous roots number "Let Me Know," produced by the tasteful choice of reggae stalwart Bobby Konders. Then there's the David Bowie "Let's Dance" sample that figures into the wicked ragga of "My Everything" and the almost too polished and pop "Tomorrow's Another Day," which could have been pure syrup in someone else's hands. Wherever the music goes, Buddz is always Buddz, with island soul and convincing delivery, like a more punkish Sean Paul with traces of Anthony B. and Damien Marley. His lyrics are right there, too, be it a swaggering club track or a plaintive plea for social justice. This ambitious whirlwind falls into place after a couple listens as any lack of focus is forgotten, thanks to the many great tunes and the exciting, hungry, and extremely talented man who anchors it all. ~ David Jeffries, All Music Guide