Hot Shot

Though rooted in reggae, <i>Hot Shot</i> is pop in the broadest sense. Shaggy doesn’t just mix in '70s funk, fresh hip-hop, and light oldies—he reduces his source material down to melodies and hooks, then rebuilds the track around his joyous, nasal croak. Exhibit A: tender slow jam “Angel,” which gives soft rock torch song “Angel of the Morning” a dancehall makeover. “Luv Me, Luv Me” pulls a similar boom-bap-fueled trick on Rose Royce’s “Ooh Boy,” while the lusty, horn-backed cheater’s anthem “It Wasn’t Me” is a true hybrid.