CRITICAL reaction locally to Bermudian Collie Buddz’s debut album has been almost unanimously positive. With his hits in heavy rotation on radio stations, not to mention blasting from nearly every car stereo on the island, Bermudians seem justifiably proud of this native son.

Foreign reviews, meanwhile, seem to bear out local opinion. One disc-jockeying web site has given an enthusiastic review to Collie’s self-titled, debut album.

DJBooth.net conceded that while Collie — whose real name is Colin Harper — is not the “next Bob Marley”, he certainly isn’t reggae’s answer to Vanilla Ice, either.

“Anyone who’s white and practises a black musical form is met with immediate suspicion, and rightfully so,” said the review. “The legacy of Vanilla Ice has permanently scarred the hip-hop community.” Yet, the review lavished praise on Collie’s breakthrough single Come Around:

“(Come Around) is the reason we’re talking about him now. Its perfectly balanced blend of reggae rhythms and hip-hop influenced rhymes has caught the ear of everyone with a pulse, it’s an absolute monster song.

“Buddz can hit the thickly-stylised flows with a razor-blade sharpness while his voice also maintains an underlying smoothness.”

Comparing the Bermudian — somewhat unusually — to Justin Timberlake and Jamaican reggae artist Elephant Man, the review commended Collie for his musical versatility.

“Buddz . . . proves he’s a student of music with the talent to match.” The review, while praising the album’s other hits like>Tomorrow’s Another Day<$> and Blind to Y$>, questioned the need for the ‘guest appearances’ on the record.

“The most common way to promote a relatively unknown artist is to attach them to some guest artists; you hook listeners in with a big name and then hope they stay for the solo material. That doesn’t mean a guest verse makes the music any better, something that’s evident on the album.

“I would have rather had Buddz bring in some other island voices. Less would have been more on Collie Buddz — let’s hope there’s some better casting on the next album.”

Still, the site credits the album as a worthy newcomer on the reggae scene.

“Let’s hope this is the introduction to a longer story for Collie Buddz and not a final chapter.”