All I Have is Love Anthology 1968-1995

Gregory Isaacs' massive output makes even a two-disc selection like this one from the Trojan vaults seem like a three-minute skip through an art museum. That said, this is a wonderfully sequenced introduction to a singer who has been a Jamaican institution for decades. From its sprightly opener, "Another Heartache," with its banjo-like guitar riffs, All I Have Is Love moves through 50 tracks that show a remarkable cohesiveness and quality in tone. Although he is best known for his cool lovers rock persona, Isaacs is also a solid songwriter, and as cuts like "Black Kill a Black (Black Against Black)" and "Slave Master" (produced by Niney Holness) show, he is adept at conscious material as well. Isaacs' confident, unhurried tenor vocals hover over everything on this well-balanced compilation, and while he is seldom flashy as a vocalist, his steady, subtle phrasing has led many to hail him as Jamaica's greatest singer. This collection doesn't attempt to be comprehensive, and that emerges as its greatest strength, offering solid songs, solid singing, and an effortless flow, all coming together to make this an excellent introduction to Gregory Isaacs.