Beenie Man – Maestro

It is Dancehall's greatest irony: Artists who are capable of releasing high quality singles at an unbelievable rate rarely produce albums worthy of their talent. Shabba Ranks, Super Cat, Ninja Man and Tiger - all well past their prime - have yet to release a definitive full-length collection.

Beenie Man's latest release, Maestro, is hardly going to separate him from such illustrious company.

Not that the 19-track album is an inferior product. On the contrary, there are no fewer than 8 Jamaican top-10 singles in the chamber. Unfortunately the rest of the album sounds like filler. "Africans" and "His Story" have been stage show staples for Beenie Man (a.k.a. The Doctor) for over a year now, and sound better live. "Be My Lady" is one of those flamboyant experiments that The Doctor is famous for, but this particular patient is dead on arrival.

What's left? "Long Longi Lala" is a duet with the infamous Lady Saw, and may become a hit based on sheer star power. But "Longi" is no "Healing" by any stretch of the imagination, and this duet is carried mainly by Saw's charisma. "Any Mr. Man," by any other DJ, would be a wicked bad bwoy tune; but from Beenie Man, the voice of "Cross The Bridge" and "Defend It," it's merely average. "One Big Road" is a tribute to sidewalk vendors, but Buju Banton's "I.C.I" is the last word on that subject. "Jerusalem" is a combination of Marcia Griffith's "Steppin Out of Babylon" remix and his own mega-hit "Kete Drum."

Beenie has never been above dipping into Bob Marley's catalogue for a hit (see "Crazy Baldheads") and Maestro contains a debut with Silver Cat, "Oh Jah Jah," that manages to combine "Keep On Moving" with "Real Situation" and still sound flat. Silver Cat may be Beenie's brethren, but he sounds like a cut-rate Buju and is clearly overmatched on the track. Gargamel would have made a much better duet partner.

What's missing? Counteraction. One of the big reasons that Beenie is a superstar is his ongoing feud with Bounty Killer. But Maestro leaves the Killa unscathed. Bounty Killer may have signed a treaty with The Doctor, but he still managed to record a tune with Beenie and dis him on My Xperience. Beenie should have taken notice of Bounty's double edged sword.

THE VERDICT: The eight former hit singles on Maestro are both it's curse and it's saving grace. Having them on the album exposes the weakness of the other tracks, but without them, this album would be a flop. A good album, but Beenie's prior product, Blessed, will stand the test of time far better.