The Very Best of Harry Belafonte fulfills the promise of the title in fine fashion, compiling 20 of
Belafonte's best-known hits onto a single CD (though it cheats slightly by adding a pair of unreleased tracks, "Bam Bam Bamba" and "Two Brothers"). Fans of his breakout
Calypso LP from 1956 will find several tracks here -- the obvious "Banana Boat Song (Day-O)" plus "Jamaica Farewell" and "Man Smart (Woman Smarter)," though unfortunately not "Brown Skin Girl." Other highlights include "Coconut Woman" and "Island in the Sun." Interested parties who find much too much to love on
Belafonte's three-disc set
Greatest Hits will find everything they need right here. ~ John Bush