Sony Music's "Essential" series of limited-edition two-disc compilations of major artists has been well-assembled generally, and Ozzy Osbourne's increased celebrity following the success of the "reality" TV series The Osbournes justifies his inclusion, as does his string of multi-platinum albums dating back to 1980. The 29-track collection presents most of the highlights of his solo career, from Blizzard of Ozz to Down to Earth, including such U.K. and/or U.S. hits as "Bark at the Moon," "No More Tears," "Perry Mason," and "Mama, I'm Coming Home," as well as the Grammy-winning live version of "I Don't Want to Change the World." Missing from the song list are such favorites as "Shot in the Dark," a Top 20 U.K. hit that made the Top Ten of Billboard's Mainstream Rock chart, and "Back on Earth," another major Mainstream Rock hit; both tracks can be found on the 1997 hits collection The Ozzman Cometh. And "Close My Eyes Forever," Osbourne's duet with Lita Ford, which was a gold-selling single and made the Top Ten of the Hot 100, is not in the Sony vaults and was not licensed. So, The Essential Ozzy Osbourne is not the perfect two-CD sampler of Osbourne's solo career. But it is a very good one, and new fans attracted by the TV show who wonder what his music is like will get an accurate representation of it here.© William Ruhlmann /TiVo

Another mix-and-match U-Roy compilation that bundles together recordings from the '70s in willy-nilly fashion, Original DJ combs through the DJ's work with only two producers (as is too often the case), and to no one's surprise, it's Duke Reid and Prince Tony Robinson whose back catalogs are rifled. The Reid material has been bundled together many times over the years, starting back in 1971 when Trojan pulled together an album's worth of the toaster's Treasure Isle singles for Version Galore. That set was reissued by Virgin in 1978, with further Reid productions compiled on the following year's With Words of Wisdom. In 1990, Virgin, having annoyingly deleted both these albums, pulled tracks from them for the CD compilation Version of Wisdom, which is where you can find all the Reid productions and then some. Thus, the Originator's early recordings are dispensed with. In the mid-'70s, U-Roy began working with Robinson, a particularly successful partnership highlighted by more hit singles and a quartet of crucial albums. Virgin released 1975's Dread in a Babylon, with their Frontline imprint putting out Natty Rebel, Rasta Ambassador, and Jah Son of Africa over the following three years, all of which have been subsequently reissued on CD. Oddly, though, this compilation pulls tracks off only the first three sets, thus bringing this compilation to a premature conclusion in 1977. Not that one particularly notices, as the tracks bounce around the years and records. Regardless, there's still a mouthwatering selection of numbers within, and while Original DJ is by no means a career-spanning set of the DJ's '70s work (equally seminal singles were cut for many other producers as well), it's still a particularly worthy collection.© Jo-Ann Greene /TiVo

Dancehall legend U-Roy was active in music from the early '60s right up until the time of his death in 2021 at age 78. During his career, his output helped set the course for multiple musical styles, with the toasting he's often credited as originating serving as a precursor for the earliest hip-hop and rap. Solid Gold U-Roy is an album heavy on guest stars, and before being pushed back by complications surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic and then U-Roy's death, it was slated for a 2020 release accompanied by a full tour. As a grand send-off, Solid Gold U-Roy is about as majestic as one could hope for. U-Roy and a cast of royalty from across several genres breathe new life into familiar reggae classics and a few reworkings of some of his earliest songs, all marked by vivid production and a general sense of celebration and joy. There are multiple takes on Bob Marley tunes, including album opener "Trenchtown Rock" (featuring vocals from Ziggy Marley), as well as boisterous versions of "Soul Rebel" (with lead vocals by David Hinds) and "Small Axe" (sung by Jesse Royal), all with U-Roy's signature toasts flowing into every available space between the verses. Santigold steals the show on a particularly deep bass version of reggae standard "Man Next Door," capturing the song's eeriness with woozy vocal harmonies that embody the feeling of having been up all night dealing with noisy neighbors. In addition to covering other artist's hits, U-Roy reworks several songs from his self-titled 1974 album, including a version of "Rule the Nation" featuring new toasts from Shaggy, "Tom Drunk" featuring Tarrus Riley, and "Wake the Town," the only song that U-Roy tackles all by himself here. The album closes with an epic rendition of "Every Knee Shall Bow," a song U-Roy toasted over with Johnny Clarke in 1978 that now stretches out over 15 minutes to include contributions from Big Youth and the Clash's Mick Jones. Not just that, but directly following the song comes a beautifully shadowy dub version by Scientist. Solid Gold U-Roy is a fittingly triumphant final act from an artist who dedicated his life to the advancement of art. It's at once traditional and futuristic, returning to some of U-Roy's past victories and somehow rendering them even brighter and more invigorating.© Fred Thomas /TiVo