smooth jazz WNUA (95.5), playing the equivalent of reggae wallpaper-Freddie McGregor, Courtney Pine; and stations B96, which has played UB40, Toronto dance-hall deejay Snow and Ace of Base and ...

Reggae music and the island of Jamaica are inseparable, right? Lately, a crop of artists from places like Hawaii, California and Italy are proving that hit reggae can come from anywhere.

But large chunks feel like unremarkable reggae wallpaper, with ‘Come as You Are’ the kind of fare you’d expect from ambient shopping-centre muzak retoolings of popular hits. There’s nothing wrong with ...