When Eek A Mouse first came out, people were completely flipping on his style. Listen to any of the live recordings from that time and you'll hear Eek getting the biggest forwards from the crowd by a long shot. First of all, the man stands at about 6 foot 6. Imagine him approaching the microphone and out comes this voice doing all sorts of high pitched gymnastics, riding riddims with an entirely unique freestyle method. Me bawl forward! This album contains some of his earliest and biggest tunes, including the title track "Wa Do Dem," which remains the Mouse's most enduring hit. "Ganja Smuggling" and "Operation Eradication" were also large tunes in their own right. Depending on how well you take to the Eek A Mouse style, you will either be loving the rest of the album straight through or setting it down after theses crucial tunes. If you are into it, there are a number of other finds- including strange downtempo ones like "Slowly But Surely." All tracks are produced by Junjo Lawes, backed by the Radics and mixed by Scientist, Jammy + Barnabas. 10 total.

• black vinyl pressing
• music label: Greensleeves 2012

reviewed by the mgmnt 08/2005