Pato Banton is the kind of singer whose material is uneven and who never cultivated a total image for himself, so a collection of his songs is fraught with inconsistency. "Bubbling Hot" is a great song performed with Ranking Roger. It's reminiscent of the rub a dub style of Yellowman and Fathead. You almost expect to hear a "ribbit" in the background. While Pato's sense of humor comes through on "Bubbling Hot," "Don't Sniff Coke, and "Gwarn!," his great, funny song "Hello Tosh" is missing from this CD, and that's a shame. Pato Banton has this way of working a funny style without raunchy slack content, and the more of those kind of songs from him, the better. He's a specialist at being funny and safe. His vocal imitations of his mother are classic. On the other hand, Pato also dabbles in roots and consciousness, which doesn't always work out. There are only so many "no war, everybody get along" lyrics you can take before Pato starts to wear thin. "Wize Up" and "Save Your Soul" are as flat as your high school guidance counsellor. Conscious lyrics aren't his strong point, but the consciousness role is a role he insists on cultivating. My opinion is that Pato Banton's best work is The Mad Professor Captures Pato Banton. Just compare the version of "Gwarn!" from that cd, and you'll see. On that one, he even pulls off the role of rootsman well ("Nuff Kind of Dred"). If you like reggae and dub, go with the Mad Professor's production of Pato. If you want that pop, early-90s party feel and "Baby Come Back" (yuck!), go with Collections.
