UB40, a name reportedly taken from the UK's designation of unemployment benefit, form 40, ties the knot from my awkward childhood to adulthood, where innocent sing a-longs and freshman dances gave way to drunken karaoke-charged escapades.

For more than two decades, the eight members of UB40 have enthralled their listeners with pop-infused, reggae beats mixed with an unmistakable calypso flavor. Throw in a bit of a British accent and you have a well-rounded, global reggae representation. The new CD and digitally released album, UB40 Greatest Hits released by Virgin/EMI marks the momentous achievements of over 70 million global album sales that UB40 has attained, and punctuates their long and successful history as the quintessential reggae band.

While the Greatest Hits album is a commercial deal, it doesn't detract from the sheer musicianship that this sometimes underrated band has masterly deployed. Despite hailing from Birmingham, which explains the reason why "Swing Low" was England's rugby team's anthem for the World Cup in Australia, UB40 is a feel-good island-like band reminiscent of pina colladas, rum runners, and banana daiquiris. With over 25 years of rainmaking to their credit their momentum is still going strong today.

As is expected, familiar tracks like, "I Can't Help Falling in Love With You," originally performed by The King himself- Elvis--, "Here I Am Come and Take Me," "I Got you Babe," featuring Chrissie Hynde, UB40's patron saint and vocalist from the Pretenders, who makes an appearance again on track 17 for "Breakfast in Bed," and "The Way You Do the Things You Do" create a toe-tapping, lip-synching experience, and blends nicely with some lesser known, but equally passionate not-so-mainstream tracks, "Until My Dying Day," "Rat In Mi Kitchen," and "My Way of Thinking".