A decade ago, the first reggae comp I bought for my wife was VP‘s Reggae Gold 94. Everything on it was all kill and no fill. Back then, even the weaker tunes on the comp were passable because dancehall itself was richer. Fast-forward to 2005 and dancehall is all about the weddy weddy, reggaeton, Fat Man Scoop and Lil Jon; the vibe is different, and so is Reggae Gold. For every hot foundation tune (Beres Hammond‘s “Love Mood” or Kiprich‘s murderous “Telephone Ting”) you have nuff gloss and floss from Nina Sky, Beenie Man, and Sean Paul. Although top-tier DJ Assassin makes good with two hot shots (“As A Man” and “Step Pon Dem”), roots stars like I Wayne, Gentleman, and Jah Cure deserve a couple more joints on there. And I don‘t even wanna talk about the bonus disc of all the songs made into a mixtape. Is this 2005 or ‘95?