Search - Mr Absolute :: C.I.A. Files

In the reggae dance-hall world, aspiring DJs can change names as often as their clothes, until they hit on just the right nom de musique. The former Shaggy Wonder clicks with his Mr. Absolute persona, a hard-hitting, Jah-praising toaster with a near operatic range. So what if he's pitching the lyrical balance toward God rather than girls and laying on the patwah a bit thick? Absolute's new disc comes as a welcome reggae surprise, expert popcraft set to sense-maddening dance-hall beats. Leading off with "Gangster," featuring the voluptuous harmonies of Jamaican quintet ARP, C.I.A. includes his other reggae arena hit, "Smokey Eyes," along with a few appeals to the ladies sprinkled among skillful renderings of reggae's standard cultural dreams. --Elena Oumano