Personnel includes: Ken Boothe, Lloyd Charmers (vocals).

Includes liner notes by Laurence Cane-Honeysett.

All tracks have been digitally remastered.

This is part of Trojan Records "Classic Reggae" series.

Includes liner notes by Stephen Nye.

Personnel: Ken Boothe (vocals).

EVERYTHING I OWN is an excellent compact overview of Ken Boothe's hits. From his early success as a member of the ska duo Stranger & Ken and as a solo artist riding the changing fashions of rocksteady and reggae, Boothe's beautiful tenor and sophisticated vocal stylings never wavered in quality. Along with Alton Ellis, Boothe was Jamaica's preeminent soulster, and remained one of the country's most popular and consistent stars throughout the 1960s and '70s.

Boothe was heavily influenced by American soul and R&B, and his own sound reflects the innovations of Marvin Gaye, Otis Redding, and Wilson Pickett. Boothe drew from American songs for much of his own repertoire, too, and had hits with Gaye's "Let's Get It On," the Four Tops' "(That's the Way) Nature Planned It," and Bill Withers's "Ain't No Sunshine." But Boothe's own compositions played into his success as well, including the ska-inflected "Freedom Street" and the funky "You're No Good," the artist's first solo single. Later '70s hits like the romantic "Crying Over You" and Bread's "Everything I Own" hearken back to Boothe's rocksteady sound, and round out this very well chosen anthology.