Music Is the Key: The Anthology

To most reggae fans, even very serious ones, the name Roy Shirley brings on a flutter of recognition, but not much more. Play them Shirley's one big hit, the rocksteady classic "Hold Them," and they'll say "Oh yeah, him," but ask them to name another song by this artist and they'll probably draw a blank. That's because Shirley worked under the curse of being a very distinctive singer in a way that was distinctive because no one else in their right mind would have sung the way he did. Like many of his contemporaries, he was heavily influenced by the American soul singers of the time, but his take on the soul style was so mannered and idiosyncratic that it was, at times, actually difficult to listen to. A good retrospective overview of his work is welcome, but a selective one would have been better than this 40-track, two-disc marathon. The ratio of classic performances to dreck runs about one to three; for every masterpiece like "Hold Them" and "Heartbreaking Gypsy" there are two or three disappointments like the unlistenable "Girlie," the mediocre "Be Wise," and the unbearably stupid "Good Is Better Than Bad." And it's not really clear why there are two different renditions of the same song, one titled "Don't Be Afraid (Of the Dark)" and the other titled "When You Are Young." The midline price makes this a pretty good deal anyway, and a comprehensive reggae collection definitely ought to include some of this material, but having to wade through the filler is annoying.