This double-CD (spanning 54 tracks) is the first serious retrospective of Stranger Cole's delightful body of work. Born "Wilburn Cole" and nicknamed "Stranger" because he resembled no one else in his family, Cole's first Jamaican hit came in 1962 with "Rough and Tough," which featured a loping ska riff and a manic harmonica solo. "Rough & Tough" jump-started Cole's ska career with producer Duke Reid, which yielded several hits, including the raucous Louis Jordan revival of "Run Joe," featuring harmonies by the Techniques, in 1965. Cole frequently sang duets (he seemed somewhat shy at taking the microphone alone), mostly notably with Patsy Todd, and their collaboration peaked with the wonderful "Down The Trainline," which closes Disc One of this collection. As the ska era waned, Cole left Reid and began working with producer Sonia Pottinger, moving on to several other producers, including Lee "Scratch" Perry, Bunny "Striker" Lee, and Joe Gibbs, as reggae took hold in Jamaica. Having grown into a mature and soulful vocalist, Cole's compassion and humor are everywhere, evident on later tracks here like "Last Flight To Reggae City," the loopy, clarinet-led "Bangarang," and his imaginatively re-tooled cover of the Guess Who's "These Eyes." "Just Like A River," sung with frequent duet partner Gladstone Anderson and produced by Joe Gibbs, was a big hit in the U.K., and is one of Stranger Cole's finest moments. In spite of having a quality recording career for over 40 years, Stranger Cole has been woefully ignored by the critics, but thanks to Trojan Records, this fine Jamaican singer finally has his deserved retrospective.

Review by Steve Leggett