by Rosalind Cummings-YeatesAlthough reggae has always borrowed from other musical genres, and it's artists have displayed vast creative inclinations from the very beginning, Da Opera represents reggae innovation at its very best. Bucaneer takes his booming vocals where reggae has never gone before, marrying dancehall's raw "riddims" with opera's classical music and melodramatic sensibilities. The concept may sound ridiculous but this DJ makes it work, from the hilarious intro where he's mumbling about the opera house in Japanese, to the hot beats laced over the new age hit, "Fade Away," to "Bruk Out," sizzling over the "heavy metal" riddim, to the operatic chorus on "Soco Numa." Bursting with humor and contagious beats, this album is destined to become a classic. To use Bucaneer's words, it's "hot like lava."