Young, Gifted and Yellow

This new anthology of albino dancehall star Yellowman flaunts his laugh-out-loud sexual swagger over two CDs. His massive hit ‘Zungguzungguguzungguzeng’ remains one of Jamaica's most sampled records. Simple, brave and playfully monotonous, Yellowman's ‘toasting’ vocals find a delicious middle ground between singing and chanting. While the DJ provides a crisp digital backing, Yellowman's vocal cords find buckets of personality in a range that hovers over the beat like a shadow boxer. One slip and the whole thing would tumble. The live DVD shows the tightness of Yellowman's act at the 1988 Sunsplash festival, two years after doctors gave him just months to live during a battle with cancer.

Despite his shameless promiscuity (what happened ‘behind the bush’ on ‘Shorties’ is unprintable), Yellowman has a definite endearing quality. On a cover of ‘The Girl is Mine’ he adopts Michael Jackson's ‘lover not a fighter’ role, duetting with the more macho approach of fellow toaster Peter Metro. Other collaborators include dancehall queen Sister Nancy, Sly & Robbie and Fathead, whose loyal accompaniment with Yellowman in the early 80s is probably where deejay and toaster gel most successfully; the complete albums from this period make the later anthology tracks seem crude. In general this compilation does, however, trigger fond memories for a dancehall enthusiast, both in Yellowman's creative reworking of classic reggae rhythms and by shedding light on a favourite hook you might not realise he'd done first.