Tropical Storm is reggae and dancehall artist Beenie Man's fifteenth studio album. It was released by Virgin Records on August 20, 2002 in the United States. The album is a mix of dancehall and reggae fusion, with hit singles such as "Feel It Boy" featuring R&B singer Janet Jackson and "Bossman" featuring dancehall artists Lady Saw and Sean Paul.
Critical reception
Tropical Storm received mixed to positive reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 63, which indicates "generally favorable reviews", based on 10 reviews. New York Post critic Dan Aquilante praised Tropical Storm, calling Beenie Man a "dance-hall reggae master" who "hits a home run." He singled out "Party Hard" as "easily the album's best track," with "Fresh From the Yard" a "very close second." Caroline Sullivan of The Guardian praised the album for its energetic, accessible dancehall sound and Beenie Man's charismatic delivery. She highlighted the album's high-profile collaborations with Janet Jackson, Lil' Kim and So Solid Crew, while emphasizing that its appeal ultimately rested on Beenie Man's expansive personality and engaging songwriting. Rolling Stone gave Tropical Storm two out of five stars, criticizing its overt crossover ambitions and formulaic subject matter. It nevertheless praised the Neptunes' blend of pop and traditional dancehall, particularly on "You Babe."
Commercial performance Tropical Storm was Beenie Man's highest-charting album at the time and remains his highest-charting album to date. It peaked at number 18 on the US Billboard 200 and number seven on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. It topped the US Reggae Albums chart and also reached the top 100 in the United Kingdom, Germany, and France.
Track listing
Sample credits "Fresh From Yard" contains portions of the compositions "Flex" and "Roots & Culture."
Charts
Weekly charts + Weekly chart performance for Tropical StormChart (2002)Peakposition
Year-end charts + Year-end chart performance for Tropical StormChart (2002)PositionCanadian R&B Albums (Nielsen SoundScan) 95
References