Issued in 2007, Shanachie's GEMS FROM THE CLASSIC YEARS serves as an excellent companion piece to the label's similarly titled THE BEST OF THE CLASSIC YEARS, offering up another fine collection of vintage King Sunny Ade tunes. Like its predecessor, GEMS draws from the era before the Nigerian juju master (born Sunday Adeniyi) became an international star, presenting a sterling set of recordings from the 1960s and '70s, when Ade perfected his celebratory, guitar-driven style. While it presents a pair of shorter songs ("Dele Davis" and "John Ali"), the compilation primarily focuses on Ade's mesmerizing extended medleys, as exemplified by the vibrant, breezy "Ori Mi Maje N'Te." Given the limited availability of Ade's pre-'80s material, GEMS is a welcome gift for the performer's adoring fans.