The 20 Classic Hits of Junior Delgado

There's slim pickings to be found of the sadly underrated Junior Delgado, especially in the U.S. Although a number of his albums from the '80s and '90s are available, one has to hunt high and low through various-artists compilations to find his music from the roots age. And that's assuming you even know what to look for, as Delgado rates little space in most reference works. And so, The 20 Classic Hits of Junior Delgado goes a long way toward righting these wrongs. As with most of the compilations that Sonic Sounds has released, there's a minimum of information — no sleeve notes, no dates, no credits, not even a mention of the producers. The entire budget was obviously spent licensing the music and lovingly transferring it onto CD. So, what do you get? Just what the title promises, 20 classic singles all drawn from the late '70s through the early '80s, where superb cultural numbers rub shoulders with gorgeous love songs. Of the former, there's the mighty "Fort Augustus" overseen by Sly & Robbie, the smash Augustus Pablo-produced "Black Man Heart Cries Out," the equally popular "Armed Robbery" overseen by Joe Gibbs, and the victory cry of "Devil's Throne," cut for Dennis Brown. Brown co-produced with Delgado the masterful Bushmaster Revolution album, and a number of its tracks were culled for this set: "Bush Master," "Rich Man," fabulous covers of "If This World Was Mine," "Speak Softly Love," and "Masquerade," as well as the breezy classic "Blue Monday" (aka "First on Sunday"). Every song here is indeed a classic, from the bright heartache of "You Really Don't Love Me" to the demand of the Gibbs-produced "Open Up Your Door" through the final track, "Rub a Dub," another Sly & Robbie production. A classic album from a phenomenal artist, this set can't be too highly recommended.