Pet Sounds
All right, all right - technically speaking the Beach Boys are Southern California, not island. But we still think enough of the breezy lifestyle embodied in their music to include them. Pet Sounds is probably THE definative Beach Boys album. It marked the real creative expression of Brian Wilson and these complex, intricate arrangements were a landmark in modern recorded music.

Calypso
Harry Belafonte's Caribbean folk reached a world-wide audience with the release of this album. Featuring Belafonte classics like "Day-o" and "Jamaica Farewell, it quickly became a bestseller. Belafonte's voice helped to bring the richness of the Caribbean culture to the North American consciousness.

it at Amazon.com!

Buena Vista Social Club
While it was Ry Cooder's participation in this record that brought it attention, it's the veteran Cuban musicians who make it great. Jazzy and yet still very Cuban, it's a record worth owning.

A1A
Hardcore Buffett fans consider this early album of the best. It marks Buffett's turn from more trditional country to "Caribbean rock." With songs like "A Pirate Looks At 40" and "Trying To Reason With Hurricane Season" it's the perfect album for those looking to move beyond the greatist hits record.

[ The Complete Jimmy Buffett Discography ]

Songs You Know By Heart
For the newly-initated Buffett fan or the ones looking to hear more than just "Margaritaville" this Greatest Hits album features all the well-known Buffett tracks as well as a few lesser-known gems.

[ The Complete Jimmy Buffett Discography ]

Calling Rastafari
Amazon.com says: "It's been a long time since Burning Spear released an album as thoroughly rootsy as this -- the opening track even quotes from his own classic "Slavery Days". and rarely has his music sounded so upbeat, punctuated with bouncing horn lines -- it's almost as if he's announcing that he's back and happy to be here."

Ultimate Collection
A great reggae artist in his own right, Jimmy Cliff also enjoyed mainstream success with the song "I Can See Clearly Now." This greatest hits collection features that tune as well as many rooted in Jimmy's reggae tradition.

Club Trini
Although many in North America know Trinidad's Robert Greenidge as Jimmy Buffett's steel drum player, Greenidge's legend eclipses Buffett's in the islands. Here he teams up with talented producer/musician and Buffett alumnus Michet Utley for an instrumental, jazzy, Caribbean album sure to make you feel good.

Legend
Diehard Marley fans will prefer specific albums for their content, but this Greatest Hits collection packs the very best of Bob Marley into one CD. Filled with reggae classics, this CD presents a broad and diverse picture of the legendary artist.

The Best of Tito Puente Vol. 1
From Amazon.com: "This remastered retrospective gathers together choice recordings from Tito Puente's greatest decade: The 1950s. Puente brought big-band jazz to traditional Afro-Cuban music and fostered an American craze for Cuban music, which originated in Puente's native New York City. The Best Of includes such great mambos as "Swingin' the Mambo" and "Mambo Gozon.""

Explodes Into Calypso
A native of Trinidad, home of the steel drum, the legendary Sparrow was crowned the King of Calypso. Known for his sometimes controversial songs delivered subtly, Sparrow's stylings led directly to the modern Calypso derivative Soca. Although his talent has never been fully appreciated in North America, he's an artist worth discovering.

Bahamian Guitarist:
Good Morning Mr. Walker
What can you say about Joseph Spence? The Bahamian stonemason recorded sporadically, and his uniquely brilliant guitar playing and unusually effective scat and mumbling voal stylings create a one-of-a-kind sound. Spence is uniquely his own.

The Very Best Of...
Toots Hibbert did for Jamaican soul what James Brown did for American soul - he made it funky! This awesome collection goes back to 1964 and follows the Maytals and Jamaican pop from the sweet, harmonizing horn-drivn ska to steadfast rock steady to archetypical roots reggae.

The Best Of Peter Tosh
The sometimes militant and always talented Peter Tosh never achieved the status of his fellow Wailer-mate Bob Marley, but his album still displays the brilliance that marked this talented artist. Included the original "Get Up, Stand Up" as well as Tosh standard "Legalize It."