I had this CD on crankin' "Nuclear War" with the window open last Saturday and the two girls in the apartment across from me started flashin' their boobs. Not sayin' that'll happen to you when you play it. Just sayin'.

NYC Reggae Collective “Alie Nation” Festive jangly reggae lit up with electronic sounds and a funky vibe. The album enlists multiple vocalists, all with plenty of statements to make. Every song could inspire the dance floor to flood. Great for parties where you want a sunny island feel to go along with the salsa dip and Doritos. Easy on the ears. You can get this at www.amazon.com or www.CDBaby.com .

::Embarrassingly Poor Jamaican Accent On:: “Let’s spice tings up a beet at Spunout Central, mahn. How about a little reggae to get ya goin’? :: Embarrassingly Poor Jamaican Accent Off:: Commercial reggae has been intolerable since Shabba Ranks (publicized as the Jamaican Bobby Brown) hit American radio stations in 1990. A complete bastardization of the musical form progressively harassed the public with the successes of the irrelevant Shaggy and obnoxious Sean Paul. When Bob Marley lit up reggae, it became a culture; these artists reduced it to a style impotently sewn with sex-laden content. Back on 12/10/03, AlieNation was collected. Procrastinating, the release intended for 2004, collected dust in my prospective review vault. The NYC Reggae Collective groups 7 lead vocalist on 15 tracks. This compilation introduces many different sub-genre sounds and vocalists or toasters and is so cohesive (based primarily on Louie Fleck’s broad yet cohesive vision) . Most impressively, modern templates complement with traditional roots reggae’s island bounce, which balances sincerity, sarcasm and barely restrained anger. Simone Gordon’s velvety vocals and Original Smurph [Bob Marley clone (with a silkier croon)] share the podium as the NYC Reggae Collective’s consistently best performers; both artists front appear on three separate tracks and appear on others. Fleck's production and arrangements expertly promote the above-referenced sonic hybrid of technological enhancements with a backbone that righteously pivots to the past. Grade: A-

Rock Reggae as been around since the early seventies. The Rolling Stones, Eric Clapton, The Police, 10 CC, Led Zep. All tried to bring rock and reggae together. It didn't work - reggae is built around the bass and drum - even when you add things to it - it always comes back to that basic DNA. Still you can't blame a man for trying, and Louie Fleck's production work stands alongside that of all of the above. And his heart is in the right place on this project. And on the Mot!ves Project - which was the first chapter in this work. He's trying something new? - a step backward possibly to go forward - and if you like reggae with rock in it - this is the best example to date. Very interesting artwork as well!!!