★★★★★
The salad days of reggae ambassadors Third World - when the likes of Stevie Wonder were writing them Top 40 hits, like 1978's Try Jah Love - are well behind them. Third World have released a lot of garbage in the years since. So this 13-track outing is a strong and welcome pop-reggae comeback of sorts, with the band's trademark harmony vocals intact, notably on the refreshing title track, as well as their respectful cover of Bruce Cockburn's excellent Lovers in a Dangerous Time.
- www.hour.ca
2010-11-02
★★★★★
Third World has always been pop-reggae, crossing between roots authenticity into funk, soul, R&B and even bubble-gum, this sound serving them well since the early '80s. On this live two-CD set recorded in Jamaica and Hawaii, they never climax. Hits like "96 Degrees In The Shade," and jazzy versions of "Satta Massa Gana" and "Now That We Found Love," leave much to be desired. But the watered-down rendition of the Police's "De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da" merits attention...
- www.globalrhythm.com
2009-06-12
★★★★★
Last year, when reggae legends Third World returned to Jamaica to celebrate its 30th anniversary, they received the Prime Minister's Award of Excellence from PJ Patterson himself. Thirty years has seen reggae's stature grow from disreputable ghetto music to official recognition of its status as the folk music of the people (with an international following). And few bands have done more to burnish reggae's worldwide reputation than Third World...
- www.globalrhythm.com
2009-06-12
★★★★★
While neither of these albums will do much to further the cause of reggae in America, at least This Is Reggae Music Vol. 2 won't do anything to hurt it.Like its predecessor, it is an anthology designed to give listeners a peek at the spectrum of reggae. But also like Vol. 1, it seems to have been programmed fairly randomly, with little effort expended on presenting the best available material in each genre. Under such hit-and-miss conditions, the two most satisfying cuts are the dubs...
- www.rollingstone.com
2009-06-08
★★★★★
A decent place to start on reggae's longest-lasting pop ensemble.
- music.aol.com
2008-08-27
★★★★★
Probably the first and best fusion of reggae and soul music by a reggae group. Third World was looking to sell records worldwide and not just in Jamaica and England, and while the band's fusion of these genres may have infuriated the die-hard Rasta man, it helped the music reach a larger base. After the opening "One Cold Vibe," a melodic reggae bouncer, a tepid "Cold Sweat" (not the James Brown tune) has floating rhythms that soften the harsh lyrics...
- music.aol.com
2008-08-27
★★★★★
When Third World collaborated with Stevie Wonder, the reggae band was rewarded with their second highest charting single, "Try Jah Love," a Top 25 R&B; hit. Its follow-up was another Wonder-written and produced single, the ominous-toned "You're Playing Us Too Close," which perfectly captures some of the '80s-era concerns of people of color. Other standouts are the soft inspiring title track and a nice cover of the Bacharach/David song and Chuck Jackson hit "I Wake Up Crying...
- music.aol.com
2008-08-27
★★★★★
A remarkable debut from a band whose desire was to infuse reggae with other influences, continuing a direction in Jamaican music that was perhaps best expressed by artists along the lines of Count Ossie and Ras Michael and the Sons of Negus. Standout moments include "Sette Messgana," "Sun Won't Shine" and their loping cover of Burning Spear's "Slavery Days...
- music.aol.com
2008-08-27
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