What can you say about the self-titled debut of reggae sensation, Collie Buddz? Knowing his background growing up in Bermuda, and being a white artist in a field that is saturated by dark skin, a new twist on the genre was expected (no offense to Snow). Perhaps that is a lofty expectation. At the end of the day, Collie accomplished what he set out to do—prove that he is as authentic as any other reggae artist out there. Unfortunately, in his efforts to prove his authenticity it seems he forgot to be interesting.The trouble with Collie Buddz (Columbia) is that it is outdated. Collie surfaces in a time where reggae music has evolved. And while getting back to the roots of this music is appreciated, it seems on his debut album Collie gets locked in a time warp. He has mentioned in countless interviews how he has been influenced by the stylings of various reggae legends. This is evident in his music. Yet sadly, he did not take these creative influences and spin them into gold. He took them and basically did exactly what they did years ago.On his first successful single “Come Around” there’s an old soul reminiscent of a time when Bob Marley made everyone smile. While this song was refreshing considering the current landscape of music, who would have thought that Collie was not simply visiting the sounds of a past time, he was actually living there? On the other hand, the darkest hour of the entire album would have to be the awkward and forgettable guest features. While many albums these days are cluttered with unnecessary guests, it must be said that it is equally as annoying to have a small number of features that just don’t work. The first of these is Krayzie Bone’s appearance on “Defend Your Own,” which otherwise is a pretty solid song. It finds Collie flowing over a bouncy guitar track. However, he and his guest on this track seemed to have no synergy.Collie fans shouldn’t fret as there are some bright spots on this album. Of course there is “Come Around” and “Mamacita,” but “Wild Out” seems destined for nightclubs this summer. The sexy track “Lonely” featuring Young Berg (the least awkward of all the features) is another track that will definitely have the ladies’ hips swaying.In all, it wasn’t a completely bad showing for Collie Buddz. However, Collie Buddz could have been better had we learned who Collie was, and not simply who his influences are.
