Silky-voiced reggae singer Maxi Priest enjoyed phenomenal crossover success in the early ‘90s with his pop/R&B-inflected brand of lovers rock. The London native began scoring hits in the U.K. and America with reggae covers of songs by Van Morrison and Robert Palmer in the ‘80s, but his true breakthrough came in 1990 with the single “Close to You”, which hit #2 in Australia and #1 in America. Duets with Shabba Ranks and Roberta Flack further cemented his global hitmaker status, and over the years Priest would continue to show a knack for fusing a diverse array of styles onto the reggae template.