Shabba Ranks - Golden Touch (2023/1990)

This Shabba Ranks release is an early snapshot of the dancehall singer's hugely popular formula. Blending reggae beats, hip-hop-influenced ragga-raps, catchy keyboard lines, and provocative lyrics, GOLDEN TOUCH has all the elements that would eventually contribute to Shabba's crossover success. His rough-hewn baritone rides the rhythms with admirable skill, as he reels off rapid-fire rhymes that simultaneously give a nod to old- school Jamaican toasters like U-Roy and North American rappers like KRS-One.

Tracks like the title cut, a duet with female singer Etc., and "Love Up Your Woman," for instance, give evidence of Ranks's sex-related "slack" themes (i.e. song topics not concerned with Rastafarian spirituality). The combination of Shabba's muscular voice, sexy lyrics, and the bass-propelled dancehall sound made GOLDEN TOUCH a hit in Jamaica and the UK, and set the stage for 1992's follow-up, the international chart-topping, Grammy-winning AS RAW AS EVER.