AMG Review of Just to Let You Know...

Alex Henderson
All Music Guide

You won't find a lot of angry, militant protest songs on Bitty McLean's debut album, Just to Let You Know..., which came out when the reggae-pop singer was only 21. Though the CD contains a few conscious tunes -- including remakes of Bunny Wailer's "Pass It On" and Leroy Sibbles' "Stop the World" -- the majority of the material is apolitical, sleek lovers rock. And because he enjoyed major pop hits in England with his covers of the Shirelles' "Dedicated to the One I Love" and Fats Domino's "It Keeps Rainin'" (both of which are included on this album), McLean was viewed with suspicion by reggae's hardliners and purists, who saw him as too commercial. But the fact is that McLean is a fairly charismatic, and much of this album is enjoyable, if derivative. When McLean sings, you can tell that he's spent a lot of time listening to Motown as well as classic rocksteady groups like the Paragons and the Heptones. Not a gem but generally likable, Just to Let You Know... indicated that McLean had potential.