Shining Time

1	My Heartbeat 3:48
2	Live Life to the Fullest / Hopeton Lindo 3:11
3	Bring Back the Love 3:38
4	Back in the Days 3:45
5	Jah Daughter 4:12
6	Human Rights 3:38
7	Shining Time 3:34
8	My Love 3:53
9	Focusing Time 3:46
10	This Time Around 3:46
11	Harmony / Shaggy 3:44
12	My Life 2:54
13	Lies 3:39
14	Don't Stop 3:50
15	Until You Come Back to Me 3:26
16	A House Is Not a Home 3:52
17	Bring Back the Love 3:26
18	Crazy Baldhead 3:42

Barnes & Noble

Forty years of vocal artistry have made Marcia Griffiths a reggae matriarch. Best known as part of Bob Marley's vocal back-up trio the I-Threes, Griffiths had a successful solo career both before and after, easily segueing from reggae to gospel to dancehall material. Shining Time is something of a summation, featuring mostly new recordings of songs from many stages in her career. There's something for everyone: Favorites from the Bacharach/David "A House Is Not a Home" to Stevie Wonder's "Until You Come Back to Me" show off her versatility and still-strong pipes. Roots fans will thrill to "My Heart Beat" and her authoritative version of the Marley classic "Crazy Baldhead" and from lovers rock with Beres Hammond to pop dancehall with Shaggy and Cutty Ranks, there's nothing this legend of reggae can't do. Mark Schwartz

All Music Guide

For legendary reggae singer Marcia Griffiths, this 2005 album constituted a look back on a career that had spanned over 40 years -- a career during which she had served as a backup singer for reggae music's most legendary figures as well as achieving significant success as a solo artist and (with Bob Andy) as half of a popular vocal duo. But Shining Time isn't a compilation of vintage Marcia Griffiths recordings -- instead, it's a collection of new songs, some of which look back in time explicitly either in theme ("Back in the Days," "Shining Time") or by implication (her cover version of Bob Marley's "Crazy Baldhead," for example). The rhythms are provided by a variety of producers and mostly hark back to the glory days of roots reggae (note, for example, how "Back in the Days" makes brilliant use of the "Tune In" rhythm), but the album's sound has a crisp and modern sheen throughout. Several A-list guest vocalists join her for duets -- they include the bouncy "Harmony" (featuring Shaggy) and the lovely "Live Life to the Fullest" (featuring Hopeton Lindo, who also produces several tracks). There are a couple of clunkers, most notably the unfortunately album-opening "My Heartbeat," which sounds wan and regretful rather than warm and romantic, but overall this album is a triumph. Rick Anderson