Version Galore

U-Roy\'s debut album features his wildly idiosyncratic rants atop a stack of reggae hits. His skewed lyrical sense adds some surreal fun to the tracks, whether he\'s expanding on the original lyrics or just making with exuberant nonsense (or doing both, as on \"Tide Is High\"). Bits of John Holt\'s original vocal lend a sweet contrast to U-Roy\'s boisterous rapping on \"Wear You to the Ball.\" And there\'s plenty of good-natured humor, as he shouts, \"Right on, brother!\" back at the vocalists on \"Rock Away.\"

"Versions galore, you can hear them by the score, I could give you some more for sure," U-Roy shouts out on the title track of Version Galore, and indeed he could and did, recording scores and scores of versions of classic Jamaican hits.