Staff writer - Kerran Monroe
Since the beginning of the millennium, we have seen a lot of duos coming out of the Jamaican music industry, and these are songs that are well thought out, the production of some of these song have been generally good and so on.
Yes I know, Jamaicans have been singing duos from before the start of the new millennium, such as ‘Turn Your Lights Down Low’ by Bob Marley and Lauryn Hill but I was not born then, so I have to talk about those songs that were made popular post my birth and are at the fore front of my memory. So in no particular order, here are my picks for the top 5 best duos coming out of Reggae and Dancehall:
Coming Over– Cherine Anderson and Chuck Fender: The sweet melody of
Entertainer Chuck Fender
Cherine Anderson’s voice is just the icing on the cake for this classic love tune. And of course, you cannot go wrong with a male/female duo, unless the lyrics are crap and the lyrics to this song certainly weren’t. The song speaks of two people in a relationship whom are missing each other and the male is asking the female if she is coming over and she gladly obliges. The male and female vocalists are very believable in their roles and that is one of the main reasons why this song got the nod. Listen here
Dude – Beenie Man ft. Miss Thing: When this song was released I was barely a teenager and I remember everyone was singing along. This song was Miss Thing’s big break into the music business. And of course another male/female duo cannot go wrong. Although there were some criticisms about the age of the female vocalist, that did not hinder this track from propelling to the top. This track was also versatile in the sense that there was singing and dj-ing. Listen here
Come – Movado and Stacious: I already did a review on this song a couple of weeks ago and the same comments apply here. Vocal qualities are on point, it is believable, and the production and mixing of the track are also first class. Listen here
Romping Shop – Spice and Vybz Kartel: Despite the ban imposed on this song and the scrutiny it came under, it still managed to remain popular and it still is one my favourite songs and the favourite of many others. The video was low in standard and not as good as the song but we love it anyway and it still managed to get over a million views on YouTube. Listen here
Tarrus Riley
Good Girl Gone Bad – Konshens and Tarus Riley: unlike the others, this is a single sex duo with both vocalists being males. The smooth reggae vibe from Tarus Riley contrasts with the hardcore dancehall vibe of Konshens and we love it. This song is what we would call a conscious song. It is talking about a particular issue: the issue of little girls who are growing too fast for their own good. The message of the song makes it even more appealing to our ears. This is one of those songs that is in your face but you cannot argue with it, unlike a song like ‘Romping Shop’, that is easily misunderstood and comes under a lot of scrutiny. Listen here
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