Slowly (VP, 1993)

Carlton "Ghost" Hylton is one of those singers whose voice either grabs you or sends you running for the exits. To me, his lady-like, Michael Jackson crying falsetto is intriguing, especially when it contrasts with the hard-hitting dancehall beats he often sings over. Though he appears on numerous compilations, Slowly is the only album of his own that I have been able to find to date. This is truly a shame, since this album shows only a shadow of his potential. Taking a page from Sanchez and Wayne Wonder, Ghost employs a large amount of cover material here, even going so far as to cover "Missing You" around the same time that Sanchez's (superior) version was a hit. Ghost remakes other love songs, like Roberta Flack's "Killing Me Softly," Shanice's "Saving Forever," one-hit-wonder Timmy T's "One More Try," and The Supremes' "Can't Hurry Love," all to marginal effect. The recycled songs, coupled with the recycled dancehall rhythms, are fairly stale, so nothing here approaches being inspirational. Ghost's voice, though likable (to me, at least), admittedly isn't the strongest singing voice in the world (even for reggae), as tunes like "Saving Forever" attest. His best on Slowly is actually an original, the slower, lovers rock-styled title track. Hopefully, though, Ghost will put out another album that will erase this drab release from memory.