Despite the fact that ska music has enjoyed recent mainstream popularity due to bands like No Doubt and Sublime, few modern fans of Jamaican popular music have heard of "Toots" Hibberts. So it's a great time for a recap of one of the bands that made it all happen.

The Millennium Collection kicks off with "Funky Kingston," from the seminal 1975 record of the same name. It's an apt title; the tracks from that album are a 50/50 blend of American soul and Jamaican ska. The beat, rhythm guitar, and Toots' broad Jamaican vocals are ska, but the horns, bursts of lead guitar, and harmonies recall Motown. The Hammond organ break on “In the Dark” is pure Sixties R&B, and "Reggae Got Soul" sounds like an irie gospel choir.

Also from Funky Kingston is their sweet, raw cover of John Denver's "Country Roads." Toots makes it his own, dreaming of West Jamaica instead of Virginia. This choice of cover sets the Maytals apart from other ‘60s and ‘70s ska bands; few other Jamaican artists were blending American music with their own regional sounds like this.

Four of the Maytals' biggest hits are also included here—"54-46 Was My Number," "Sweet and Dandy," "Pressure Drop," and "Monkey Man." Recorded from 1968 to 1970, these cuts would become ska templates for the next three decades, and would be covered by the likes of the Specials, the Clash and Yellowman.

Later, Toots recruited the famous Jamaican rhythm section of Sly and Robbie for his 1988 album Toots in Memphis. Two songs from that disc are included here: Otis Redding's "Dreams To Remember" and "Freedom Train" by James Carr. Toots' vocals are more melodic than on his previous tracks, but it becomes apparent that he’s singing with a distinctly American accent. His move toward a wholly Stateside sound may have disenchanted some fans, but these tracks are a valid testament to the progress that Toots’ music has made over time, and it would have been deceptive to omit these songs from this compilation.

While bands from the Bosstones to Rancid have mixed ska with other musical styles, Toots and the Maytals were the first to do it, and one of the first to bring it to listeners outside Jamaica. This collection is vital for ska fans that haven't yet discovered their roots.

—Kate Wharmby

www.islanddefjam.com / www.tootsandthemaytals.net/toots