Wailers and Friends gathers 18 songs, mostly by other Studio One artists, which feature the Wailers -- Bob Marley, Bunny Livingston, and Peter Tosh -- as a backing vocal group. Delroy Wilson, Rita Marley and the Soulettes, and Jackie Opel all have several tunes present, and the Skatalites often serve as the backing band. There are a couple of cuts attributed to Bob Marley and the Wailers, as well as two duets featuring Wailers members, but most of the emphasis is on the group as a background unit. In spite of that fact, though, the compilation is a much better listen than some might be led to believe; it is Studio One, after all, and the backup musicians and vocalists help lend a crackling energy to many of the songs here, even when the lead vocalists aren't all that distinctive. ~ Steve Huey