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A Best of Desmond Dekker album without "007 (Shanty Town)" -- what kind of best-of is that? Well, this is the second time out for this set, originally released as The Best of Desmond Dekker: The Israelites in 1996, or more accurately the third time, because that latter set duplicated 12 out of Shanty Town Original's 13 tracks, a compilation that hit the shelves two years previously. However, the fact that it keeps reappearing under different titles tells you two things: first, the sad state of Dekker's catalog, which has been plundered willy-nilly by a host of reissue labels; and second, the strength of this particular set of songs. Bar the aforementioned "007," the rest of Dekker & the Aces' British hits all duly appear within, as does a slew of his Jamaican smashes, including his Independence Festival Song Competition winner, "Intensified." All of those hits came in the early reggae age, as does the bulk of this set, with only "Rude Boy Train" breaking the bouncy, insistent, rhythmic mold. Most, too, were written by Dekker, a prolific songwriter who only occasionally covered others' material. Those exceptions however, were notable, and include a pair of numbers from labelmate Jimmy Cliff -- "You Can Get It If You Really Want," which Dekker & the Aces took to number two in the British chart, and an excellent version of "That's the Way Life Goes." Even Dekker's take on Stevie Wonder's "For Once in My Life" reverberates, laced as it is with deep emotion. But it's the artist's own numbers that truly impress -- the international hit "Israelites," of course, but also such cultural classics as "Problems" and "Perseverance." The exploits of his high-spirited sister found on "It Mek" and "Pickney Gal" inevitably raised a smile and spirits, while celebrations of rocksteady and reggae, "Rude Boy Train" and "Intensified," respectively, were flawless classics of their genres. Of course, there's a slew of Dekker numbers that are just as good but not found here, and with its dearth of ska hits and paucity of rocksteady masterpieces it can never be considered a true overview of the artist's oeuvre. But as a snapshot of one period, you couldn't do much better. ~ Jo-Ann Greene
