Island music carries the weight of place in a particular way. The records in the Islands Groove Library are not postcard sounds -- they are the real thing, made by people living on specific patches of earth surrounded by water, shaped by history and climate and necessity. Calypso, Mento, early reggae and its predecessors: music with roots deep enough to hold.
Vol. 2 moves through the Caribbean with a light touch and a serious ear. The obvious anthems are absent by design. What you get instead are the records that serious collectors return to -- the sides that did not make the compilations but should have, the artists who deserve wider ears. The groove is warmer than you expect and the bass sits exactly right.
An hour goes by quickly. That is always the sign of a well-sequenced mix.