The best thing to happen to Shaggy's art, if not his pocketbook, was a commercial dip after his breakthrough pop success. Instead of trying to replicate the boombastic hooks and watered-down beats, Shaggy got back to a rootsier dancehall sound, and this new release continues that trend.
The emphasis is still on his loverman tendencies, but he's not as salacious as some of his peers as he traffics in classic come-ons and brush-offs with his tricky, rhythmic flow and sly rhymes carrying the show. This isn't nearly as accessible as some of his past work, but many tracks are insistent and tuneful.
"Bonafide Girl" and the title cut hit the sweet spot without being saccharine sops to radio. "Body a Shake" provides the thump and bump for bedroom gymnastics, and "Criteria" is a witty ode to international women. Two changes of pace include "Mad Mad World," which decries a culture out of kilter and "politricks," and "Church Heathen," a critique of religious hypocrisy. The latter features a modified monk chant, an odd flourish that works.
More hooks are supplied by that human hook, Akon ("What's Love"), and Rayvon. A few tracks don't measure up, including "Those Days," which uses an extrapolation of "Those Were the Days" for lazy familiarity. Yet with his aim on the dance floor and not the charts, Shaggy delivers with consistency.
[Ken Capobianco]
