Classic Reggae: The Soundtrack to Jamaica

Jamaica has always been about music, and more music is released per capita there than in any other country in the world. The island's wonderfully unique and ever-changing view of pop culture makes the music a fascinating blend of Caribbean folk, kinetic rhumba rhythms, street-corner doo wop, tilted R&B and soul, fractured horn charts, jazz, African percussion, mixing board loops, fisherman's chants, and dancehall toasts that gave way to raps. There's nothing quite like Jamaican music, whether it's mento, ska, rocksteady, roots reggae, dub, or dancehall and beyond, and all of these styles are evident in this two-disc, 40-track set drawn from the Trojan Records vaults. With classics like Desmond Dekker's "007 (Shanty Town)," Lee "Scratch" Perry's "Return of Django," Bob Marley & the Wailers' "Small Axe" and "Trench Town Rock," Chaka Demus & Pliers' "Twist and Shout," and Beenie Man's "Dancehall Queen," among others, this funky little collection makes for a quick dive through the history of Jamaican pop music.