**1/2 Cutty Ranks

SIX MILLION WAYS TO DIE

(Priority)

This dancehall rapper established himself with the single "The Stopper." His major-label album debut includes a bit too much fast-forward fodder, but there are instances when Cutty absolutely shines. On "Guiltiness," he trades verses with Eddie Fitzroy in a Biblical-sounding call to arms in the tradition of great rebel music. The combination of Cutty's dancehall stylings with Fitzroy's impassioned, whiny tones is infectious. Cutty's duet with Barrington Levy, "My Woman," has the lick of Levy's sweet voice. His excursion with Shaggy, "Waste a Time," uses the former US Marine's unmistakably quirky voice and a female-sung chorus to maximum (and radio-friendly) effect. "A Who Seh Me Dun (Wake De Man)" begins with the familiar refrain "Six million ways to die, choose one" answered by the infectious chorus "Wake De Man." But the duets are the best work here. The rest of the album is often diluted by played-out samples, occasional poor mixes that drown out classic loops with drums, and Cutty's less-than-hungry raps.

-- Adam Matthews