VIBES

Nearly a decade after his last studio album, HEAVY, rapper/singer Heavy D returned (sans Boyz) with 2008's VIBES. A considerable departure from the hip-hop-leaning earlier outing, VIBES finds the performer (aka Dwight Errington Meyers) paying tribute to his Jamaican birthplace by presenting a set steeped in reggae. Working in a laidback style informed by dancehall and dub, Heavy is a natural with the island's melodic sound, as best revealed on the hit single "Long Distance Girlfriend."

• Genre: Pop
• Format: CD
• Released: 06/09/2009