This fine two-disc overview presents some of the best and most popular singles by legendary dancehall crooner Cocoa Tea, and as such it's also an excellent primer on the evolution of dancehall reggae in general, from the early '80s (when its harder beat was just starting to make itself felt as an alternative to the previously ascendant roots reggae sound) to the ragamuffin stylings of 2006.
The program is presented chronologically, and the first disc compiles early productions by Henry "Junjo" Lawes and King Jammy (including the brilliant "Come Again," which hijacks the melody to "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town"), up through such late-'80s classics as the three-way combo hit "Who She Love" (featuring Home T. and a young Shabba Ranks) and "Love Me." The second disc is even better, with top-notch rhythms from Bobby "Digital-B" Dixon and Philip "Fatis" Burrell including two brilliant cuts on the classic "Stalag 17" rhythm, the very fine "Rip & Run Off" combination track (with Cutty Ranks) and a great recut of Larry Marshall's roots classic "Mean Girl" here titled "Mr.
Neck Tie Man." Cocoa Tea's voice is one of the sweetest and smoothest in reggae music and has been for more than two decades now; this set offers one of the best overviews of his work in recent memory.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rocking Dolly | Cocoa Tea | Play | 03:51 | 8 MB | 0 MB |
| 2 | Informer | Cocoa Tea | Play | 03:13 | 7 MB | 0 MB |
| 3 | Hey Bobby | Cocoa Tea | Play | 02:51 | 6 MB | 0 MB |
| 4 | Come Again | Cocoa Tea | Play | 03:21 | 7 MB | 0 MB |
| 5 | Death in the Stadium | Cocoa Tea | Play | 03:12 | 7 MB | 0 MB |
| 6 | Tune In | Cocoa Tea | Play | 03:43 | 8 MB | 0 MB |
| 7 | All Night Saturday Night | Cocoa Tea | Play | 03:41 | 8 MB | 0 MB |
| 8 | Young Lover | Cocoa Tea | Play | 03:37 | 8 MB | 0 MB |
| 9 | Lonesome Side | Cocoa Tea | Play | 03:28 | 7 MB | 0 MB |
| 10 | Love Me | Cocoa Tea | Play | 03:43 | 8 MB | 0 MB |
| 11 | Who She Love | Cocoa Tea | Play | 03:09 | 7 MB | 0 MB |
| 12 | Holding On | Cocoa Tea | Play | 03:57 | 9 MB | 0 MB |
| 13 | The Going Is Rough | Cocoa Tea | Play | 04:04 | 9 MB | 0 MB |
| 14 | Riker's Island | Cocoa Tea | Play | 03:36 | 8 MB | 0 MB |
| 15 | Bust Outta Hell | Cocoa Tea | Play | 03:30 | 8 MB | 0 MB |
| 16 | Good Life | Cocoa Tea | Play | 04:03 | 9 MB | 0 MB |
| 17 | Too Young | Cocoa Tea | Play | 03:47 | 8 MB | 0 MB |
| 18 | She Loves Me Now | Cocoa Tea | Play | 03:49 | 8 MB | 0 MB |
| 19 | No Threat | Cocoa Tea | Play | 02:56 | 6 MB | 0 MB |
| 20 | We Do the Killing | Cocoa Tea | Play | 03:16 | 7 MB | 0 MB |
| 21 | Come Love Me | Cocoa Tea | Play | 03:17 | 7 MB | 0 MB |
| 22 | Rip & Run Off | Cocoa Tea | Play | 04:00 | 9 MB | 0 MB |
| 23 | Holy Mount Zion | Cocoa Tea | Play | 03:15 | 7 MB | 0 MB |
| 24 | Heathen | Cocoa Tea | Play | 03:31 | 8 MB | 0 MB |
| 25 | Israel's King | Cocoa Tea | Play | 03:50 | 8 MB | 0 MB |
| 26 | Hurry up & Come | Cocoa Tea | Play | 03:45 | 8 MB | 0 MB |
| 27 | Moving On | Cocoa Tea | Play | 03:40 | 8 MB | 0 MB |
| 28 | Mr.Neck Tie Man | Cocoa Tea | Play | 04:04 | 9 MB | 0 MB |
| 29 | Zeeks | Cocoa Tea | Play | 03:35 | 8 MB | 0 MB |
| 30 | Can't Be Real | Cocoa Tea | Play | 03:13 | 7 MB | 0 MB |
| 31 | Save Us Oh Jah | Cocoa Tea | Play | 03:35 | 8 MB | 0 MB |
| 32 | Rough Inna Town (feat. Luciano) | Cocoa Tea, Luciano | Play | 03:52 | 8 MB | 0 MB |
| 33 | I've Lost My Sonia | Cocoa Tea | Play | 03:20 | 7 MB | 0 MB |
| 34 | Pirate's Anthem (feat. Home T & Shabba Ranks) | Cocoa Tea, Home T, Shabba Ranks | Play | 04:06 | 9 MB | 0 MB |
| 35 | Tek Weh Yuh Gal | Cocoa Tea | Play | 04:48 | 10 MB | 0 MB |
| 126 mins | 291 MB | |||||
| 0 mins | 0 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Buju Banton | Featured Artist |
| 2 | Cocoa Tea | Primary Artist |
| 3 | Louie Culture | Featured Artist |
| 4 | Home T | Featured Artist |
| 5 | Luciano | Featured Artist |
| 6 | Cutty Ranks | Featured Artist |
| 7 | Shabba Ranks | Featured Artist |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |
| CD Quality | FLAC | 16bit 44.1kHz | FLAC is an audio coding format which uses lossless compression. Digital audio in FLAC format has a smaller size and retains the same quality of the original Compact Disc (CD). |