Greensleeves Most Wanted

Greensleeves’ Most Wanted series continues to rehabilitate the careers of once huge pre-digital dancehall stars. Few were bigger, in any sense, than Eek A Mouse. The 6’6” DJ was a phenomenon for about three years in the early ’80s. He was one of the few who crossed over to international audiences otherwise reluctant to embrace dancehall. His fresh new style at the time — he was the first widely popular "singjay,” deejaying melodically over rhythms — remains an important part of Jamaican music. His nasal voice, made-up words and hilarious subject matter niced up any dance, especially when paired with producer Junjo Lawes’ great rhythms of the time. His first smash, "Wa Do Dem,” contains all the elements. It’s a humorous narrative about "she’s too short and I’m too tall,” with a rhythm so tight that it received dance club play in New York. If you’ve had nuff Junjo riddims on other current Greensleeves reissues, you might consider passing this one over, but this is the best collection of the man’s material available.