Hostile

After years of being incorrectly described as a reggae artist, Eddy Grant responded in 1988 by calling this album File Under Rock. Many assumed that the British singer was a reggae-oriented artist because he wore his hair in dreadlocks, but the truth is that he's essentially a pop-rocker who sometimes incorporates reggae elements. While a few tunes on File Under Rock contain slight reggae touches (including "Harmless Piece of Fun"), this is indeed a pop-rock CD first and foremost. Grant favors lighthearted escapism much of the time, although he brings a more sociopolitical agenda to "Another Riot," "Hostile Country" and the questionable "Say Hello to Fidel," which seems to endorse Cuban communist dictator Fidel Castro. Even at his most political, however, Grant avoids sounding preachy. File Under Rock didn't contain a monster hit like "Electric Avenue" or "Walking On Sunshine," but it's a decent effort that Grant's followers will want.