Reggae fits the country well

Imagine that a nightclub accidentally booked two wildly different acts - one reggae, one country - for the same night and, instead of one backing out, the bands decided to jam together. That's Reggae's Gone Country, 14 tracks of covers that sound, at first blush, like a musical accident full of twangy guitars and reggae beats, but overall a happy one.

The album opens with Romain Virgo and Larry Gatlin's take on the Gatlin Brothers' California. It starts out seemingly traditional and makes a sudden reggae turn, setting the tone for the rest of the tracks that blend the best of both genres.

The most enjoyable tunes are those most recognisable to even the least 'countryfied' music fans, including Etana's sweet spin on Crazy, Tessanne Chin's soulful take on Don't It Make My Brown Eyes and the fun meanderings of Freddie McGregor's King of the Road. El Paso by Sanchez provides the album's most brain-twisting combination, drawing from reggae, country and Latin genres for the musical equivalent of enchiladas filled with jerk chicken and pulled pork. Weird, but actually pretty tasty.

Flowers On The Wall by L.U.S.T. is a perfect blend of country and reggae, with misfit lyrics that could've originated in either genre: "My shoes are not accustomed to this hard concrete/So I must go back to my room and make my day complete."

Krista Henry from The Gleaner is in agreement with the Associated Press and said in a recent STAR article, "Reggae artistes 'going country' may sound a little crazy at first, but after listening to the Reggae's Gone Country album it's proven to be a golden idea."

An innovative project brought to listeners by VP Records and Warner Music Nashville, the recently released album chose some of the best country songs and some of the best voices in reggae music to sing them.

From younger acts such as Romain Virgo, to eclectic acts such as Tessanne Chin and veterans Beres Hammond, Sanchez, Luciano and Freddie McGregor, the CD showcases much diversity.

Reggae's Gone Country consists of 13 covers of country classics, plus one bonus iTunes track.

Jamaicans have long had a love for country music. The ability of acts like Kenny Rogers to pack venues when he performs on Jamaican soil is proof of this.

Reggae's Gone Country combines Jamaica's love for the music with the unique sounds of the indigenous genre.

A smooth listen from start to finish, the Reggae's Gone Country album has a wide range of country songs with themes of love, loss and more.

One of the clear standouts on the album is Beres Hammond's rendition of George Jones' He Stopped Loving Her Today. From the opening line, 'He said I love you till I die', Hammond has listeners captivated. Another standout is Luciano's version of the late Jim Reeves' He'll Have To Go.

With Luciano's version, one can hear a touch of reggae mingled with the classic country sound. One of two females on the album, Tessanne Chin, does Don't It Make My Brown Eyes justice with a very soulful rendition. Duane Stephenson adds his smooth flavour to Suspicions and Busy Signal takes on Kenny Rogers with The Gambler.

A good listen overall, one of the few downfalls of an album like this is that there are instances when you can't help but hear the original tracks. An example being Patsy Cline's epic Crazy. While Etana's voice is at one of its best during the rendition, it doesn't come close to the depth that Cline had.

The above story is a combination of two reviews, one done by the Associated Press and the other by The Gleaner's Krista Henry.