Good 2 Go

Had Sean Paul and Wayne Wonder not made the dents they did in urban radio, most of dancehall-deprived America may have never had a chance to hear Elephant Man’s brilliant “Pon de River Pon de Bank,” the only pure dancehall track to crack the charts since the genre got more reckless and hyper post-Shabba. It’s a fantastic single and Good 2 Go surrounds it in standard dancehall album style: some killer, some filler, and at least one truly misguided moment. Elephant Man singing to the tune of Survivor’s “Eye of the Tiger” on “Fan Dem Off” supplies the misguided moment, but there are 19 other tracks to choose from with the filler being better than usual and the killer being just what kicking stereos crave. Besides the pumping and infectious “River,” there’s the deep and ominous chant of “Jamaica” and a perfectly executed team-up with Killah Priest on the hypnotic and smoke-filled “Who We Are.” Joel Chin (a member of the family that started the VP label/dynasty) contributes production that is both quirky and breezy on “Cock Up Your Bumper,” with the usually brash Elephant Man prattling on about “yellow underwear” like a tripped-out Harry Belafonte. Moments like this make Good 2 Go a good listen, but being a bit overstuffed and some bad production decisions (“Signal de Plane” fades out way too soon) keep it from being a classic. Of course, the rules of dancehall don’t really allow for Sgt. Pepper’s-style opuses. A straight-up dancehall album with the charismatic Elephant Man’s smart-aleck spin, Good 2 Go focuses on an energetic artist in his prime with little refinement. You can pick and choose your favorite raw, head-bobbing moments and grin away. ~ David Jeffries, Rovi