Elephant Man – Good 2 Go
VP/Atlantic Records (83681-2)

Elephant Man is the consensus pick by most industry observers to “cross over” from the dark sweaty underground of the Dancehall to the bright lights of Billboard stardom. On the heels of a slick music video that taught the world how to jump from the river to the bank, Ele drops Good 2 Go on an eager audience.

Good 2 Go is backed by both VP and Atlantic Records – the same team behind the chartbusting success of Wayne Wonder and Sean Paul. However, G2G is the first album since those surprise successes, and the pressure to meet expectations seems to temper Elephant Man’s over-the-top exuberance. Playing it safe, most of G2G’s best tunes are not new, but hit singles that have made the rounds in the Dancehall and previous VP and Greensleeves compilation albums. At 20 tracks deep, G2G may seem a tad long, until you realize that fully half of the tracks are retreads.

Some of Elephant Man’s biggest 2K3 hits are collected on G2G: Of course, his two bashiest dance tunes – “Pon De River” and “Signal De Plane” – are here, along with gangsta anthem “Jamaica.” Ele’s up-to-the-minute smashes are also included, most notably the “Blasé” dance tutorial and “Bad Man,” a riotously funny ride on Dave Kelly’s monster “Fiesta” rhythm. Who knew that it was forbidden for a Bad Man to wash his clothes in the same load with his baby mother’s underwear?

Of the new songs, it’s clear that either Ele or his record label has some misgivings about the probability of success as a solo artist. While all of the ‘03 hits compiled on G2G are solo joints, the new tracks feature a host of ill-conceived collaborations with a bunch of mediocre Foreign artists, including rappers Killah Priest, Big Tigger, Bone Cruser, Lil John and singer Jimmy Cozier. The glut of guest appearances add nothing to Good 2 Go: “Who We Are” and “So Fine” – featuring Killah Priest and Jimmy Cozier, respectively - are instantly forgettable, and “Jook Gal,” with Bone Crusher and Lil John, is just plain awful. The bloated, keyboard-heavy remix of Ele’s smash “Cock Up Ya Bumpa”is so bad that it borders on criminal.

The new songs on G2G are not universally bad, though. “Nah Gwaan A Jamaica,” is thematically similar to “Jamaica” and may be misogynistic and intolerant – regrettably adding Muslims to the standard list of chi-chi men, rapists, informers and playa hatas – but it’s perversely patriotic and an undeniably bouncy ride on the “Ching Chong” rhythm. “Who You Think You Is” is a basic cautionary tale to would-be shottas, made infinity better by King Jammy’s old school rhythm. Ele also completes his Foreign Gal Trilogy on G2G, adding “Indian Gal” and “Mexican Gal” to last year’s smash “Chiney Ting.” “Indian Gal” is a spicy number that’s a lot like “Chiney Ting” – the Indian (both Native American and Asian) is impressed by the Jamaican anaconda – but “Mexican” is an almost unlistenable attempt by Ele to croon an old western ballad.

THE VERDICT: Good 2 Go is a notch below Ele’s Greensleeves trilogy of albums, and Dancehall fans will be disappointed by the lack of quality new songs. However, new fans with no frame of reference for Elephant Man’s style will be pleased by G2G’s offerings. If you missed the Elephant Man juggernaut this year and don’t have all of his hits in your collection, G2G is a good way to get up to speed. Hardcore fans will play it twice and take it out of their CD rotation, but when they revisit G2G a few months later, they’ll be pleased with the overall quality of the album.