Best Reggae Fusion Hits of All Time

Attention!!!

We are all a bit Rastafari at heart. We may not be Rastafarian to the point of doctrinal values but as far as the attitude and practices go, most of us adhere to their carefree ways of life. Reggae was born in the trenches of Jamaica. Jamaican musicians, many of them Rastas, soon blended traditional Jamaican folk music and drumming with American R&B, and jazz into ska, that later developed into reggae under the influence of soul. During the 60s and 70s, Reggae entered the mainstream music industry and flourished until pop and alternative rock took over in the 80s and the 90s. 

While Reggae has never been at the helm of the music industry, nevertheless it has always had a presence through various forms. One such form is Reggae Fusion. Reggae Fusion is a fusion genre of Reggae that mixes Reggae or Dancehall with other genres, such as pop, rock, R&B, jazz & drum and bass. While Reggae Fusion was experimented in the 80s, it was in the 90s that the first wave of Reggae Fusion stormed the charts and this commenced in Europe. Eurodance fused with Reggae produced smash hits which became increasingly popular leading acts such as Mr.President, Dr. Alban, E-Rotic and Vengaboys to fuse their styles with Reggae as well. 

Ace of Base takes the crown as well as second place because they were instrumental in laying the foundation for Reggae Fusion with their first global hit All That She Wants which was followed by the massive hit The sign. I believe the next wave of Reggae Fusion is upon us with the likes of OMI, MAGIC! and R.City gaining international success. So here are the 75 of the Greatest Reggae Fusion Hits of All Time:

1. Ace of Base – All that she wants
2. Ace of Base – The sign
3. OMI – Cheerleader (Felix Jaehn Remix)
4. MAGIC! – Rude
5. Shaggy ft. Rikrok – It wasn’t me
6. Sean Paul – Get busy
7. Snow – Informer
8. Jessie J ft. B.o.B. – Price tag
9. Ini Kamoze – Here comes the hotstepper
10. Sean Kingston – Beautiful girls
11. Diana King – Shy guy
12. No Doubt ft. Bounty Killer – Hey baby
13. Shaggy ft. Rayvon – Angel
14. Iyaz – Replay
15. Akon – Don’t matter
16. Travie McCoy ft. Bruno Mars – Billionaire
17. Gwen Stefani – Rich girl
18. R.City ft. Adam Levine – Locked away
19. Lily Allen – Smile
20. Alexandra Burke ft. Elephant Man – Start without you
21. Vengaboys – We’re going to Ibiza
22. No Doubt ft. Lady Saw – Underneath it all
23. Nina Sky ft. Jabba – Move ya body
24. Ace of Base – Don’t turn around
25. Inner Circle – Sweat (A la, la, la, la long)
26. Sugar Ray – Fly
27. Shaggy ft. Rayvon – In the summertime
28. Paris Hilton – Stars are blind
29. K’Naan – Wavin’ flag
30. Heavy D & the Boyz – Now that we found love
31. Sean Paul – Gimme the light
32. Mohombi – Bumpy ride
33. Aswad – Shine
34. Vitamin C ft. Lady Saw – Smile
35. Mr. President – Coco jamboo
36. Sean Kingston & Justin Bieber – Eenie meenie
37. Dr. Alban – It’s my life
38. Bridgit Mendler – Ready or not
39. Wayne Wonder – No letting go
40. Michael Franti & Spearhead ft. Cherine Anderson – Say hey (I love you)
41. Sean Paul – She doesn’t mind
42. All Saints – Rock steady
43. T-Spoon – Sex on the beach
44. Ace of Base – Living in danger
45. Alexandra Stan – Lemonade
46. Che’Nelle ft. Baby Cham – I fell in love with the DJ
47. Gyptian – Hold you
48. Sean Kingston – Take you there
49. Cover Drive – Explode
50. Iyaz – Solo
51. Bob Sinclar & Cutee B ft. Gary Pine & Dollarman – Sound of freedom
52. Santana ft. Sean Paul & Joss Stone – Cry baby cry
53. Vengaboys – Uncle John from Jamaica
54. Suggs ft. Louichie Lou & Michie One – Cecilia
55. Bruno Mars – Count on me
56. Diana King – I say a little prayer
57. Sean Kingston – Me love
58. Sean Paul – We be burnin’
59. No Doubt – Settle down
60. Rihanna – Man down
61. Beenie Man ft. Mya – Girls dem sugar
62. Sean Kingston – Letting go (Dutty love)
63. Wayne Wonder – Bounce along
64. Ace of Base – Happy nation
65. Diana King – L-l-lies
66. ENUR ft. Natasja – Calabria 2007
67. Yasmin ft. Shy FX & Ms.Dynamite – Light up (the world)
68. Shaggy ft. Eve – Girls just want to have fun
69. Gwen Stefani – Baby don’t lie
70. Bridgit Mendler – Hurricane
71. Snoop Lion ft. Miley Cyrus – Ashtrays and heartbreaks
72. 311 – Amber
73. MAGIC! – Let your hair down
74. Bruno Mars ft. Damian Marley – Liquor store blues
75. Tami Chynn ft. Akon – Frozen 

Till the next beat...

At Ease!!!

Best Mixed Bands of All Time

Attention!!!

We all know about the boy bands and the girl groups which have stormed the mainstream pop industry. But there are also mixed bands, an assorted motley of boys and girls which have formed bands as well. Most of them have their designated lead singer but the others also play significant roles in the group. Some of these bands have become extremely successful and popular and among these is ABBA which is one of the best selling bands of all time followed by Fleetwood Mac and Black Eyed Peas. Most of these bands have also lead the way for solo careers for their lead vocalists such as will.i.am, Fergie, Stevie Nicks, Gwen Stefani, Wyclef Jean and Lauryn Hill. So here are the best 30 mixed bands of all time:

1. ABBA
   
2. Fleetwood Mac
   
3. Black Eyed Peas
   
4. Ace of Base
   
5. Boney M.
   
6. Blondie
   
7. No Doubt
   
8. The Human League
   
9. Heart
   
10. S Club 7
    
11. Aqua
    
12. Lady Antebellum
    
13. Fugees
    
14. Steps
    
15. The Pretenders
    
16. The Corrs
    
17. Vengaboys
    
18. The B-52s
    
19. Liberty X
    
20. The Mamas & the Papas
    
21. The Velvet Underground
    
22. Little Big Town
    
23. Talking Heads
    
24. A* Teens
    
25. Cover Drive
    
26. The Band Perry
    
27. N-Dubz
    
28. Alcazar
    
29. ATC
    
30. Scandal'us
    

Till the next ensemble...

At Ease!!!

Who Owned It: 25 Cover Songs Better Than The Original

Attention!!!

There comes a time in all our lives when our jaws drop when we realize that a song that we really like is merely a cover. However, does it really matter that we like the cover better than the original. What if the cover is better than the original? This list is about those artists who have done a much better job than the original artist or band and how they made it their own. Almost all the songs on the list are identified with the covering artist and most of these happen to be their signature songs. 

This list is carefully compiled after considering whether we actually know the original artists. You will find them in the brackets next to the song title. Whitney Houston's global smash hit I Will Always Love You from the soundtrack of The Bodyguard is numero uno as she definitely owned the song originally sung by Dolly Parton and even covered thereafter by Kenny Rogers. Songs like Santana's Black Magic Woman, Gloria Estefan's Turn the Beat Around, Bananarama's Venus and particularly Aretha Franklin's Respect are their signature songs. 

It is fundamental to realize that this list is not about the best covers of all time, as there is a separate list in relation to that, and that this is about how most of us think that these 25 songs are covered by the artists in front and not the ones in brackets. So close your mouth as you read this list as I guarantee your jaw will drop…

1. Whitney Houston – I will always love you (Dolly Parton)
2. Aretha Franklin – Respect (Otis Redding)
3. The Righteous Brothers – Unchained melody (Todd Duncan)
4. Willie Nelson – Always on my mind (Gwen McCrae)
5. Celine Dion – The power of love (Jennifer Heart)
6. Janis Joplin – Me and Bobby McGee (Roger Miller)
7. Sinead O’ Connor – Nothing compares 2 u (Prince)
8. Santana – Black magic woman (Fleetwood Mac)
9. UB40 – Red red wine (Neil Diamond)
10. Soft Cell – Tainted love (Gloria Jones)
11. Ike and Tina Turner – Proud Mary (Creedence Clearwater Revival)
12. Natalie Imbruglia – Torn (Ednaswap)
13. Jennifer Lopez – Waiting for tonight (3^rd Party)
14. Gloria Estefan – Turn the beat around (Vicki Sue Robinson)
15. Michael Andrews ft. Gary Jules – Mad world (Tears for Fears)
16. No Doubt – It’s my life (Talk Talk)
17. Bananarama – Venus (Shocking Blue)
18. Los Lobos – La bamba (Ritchie Valens)
19. Vengaboys – Sha-la-la-la-la (Walkers)
20. Mark Ronson ft. Amy Winehouse – Valerie (The Zutons)
21. Sheryl Crow – The first cut is the deepest (Cat Stevens)
22. Johnny Cash – Hurt (Nine Inch Nails)
23. Monica – Angel of mine (Eternal)
24. The Corrs ft. Bono – When the stars go blue (Ryan Adams)
25. Boyzone – Baby can I hold you (Traci Chapman)

Till the next beat…

At Ease!!!