Just who is the quintessential character in most of Shaggy's songs? He's a rascally rogue who's prone to self-denial, thinks quite highly of himself and usually has a woman mad at him.

And he's back with Nasha on the track "Woman Scorn," from Shaggy's just-released album "Intoxication." This time around he's an unlucky lothario who wakes up to have his girlfriend pointing a gun at him.

"He's begging for his life, trying to convince this chick that he might have screwed around but let's look at the bigger picture here," Shaggy says. "There's more to life than just me screwing up."

In 2000's "It Wasn't Me," Shaggy tells Rik Rok to deny everything with the phrase "It Wasn't Me" when Rok's caught cheating. The track was a No. 1 pop smash and the album from which it came, "Hot Shot," sold more than 6 million copes in the U.S.

"I build characters in my songs that might not be perfect characters, but they're lovable characters," Shaggy says. "Like Mr. Boombastic (from the '95 hit single 'Boombastic'), people look at Mr. Boombastic and say look at this braggadocios, cocky ... but somehow I like him."

And so do fans. He's been around since 1993 when his "Pure Pleasure" album produced the hit remake of "Oh Carolina." Shaggy, born Orville Richard Burrell in Kingston, Jamaica, in 1968, moved to the Flatbush section of Brooklyn when he was 18. He started performing as soon as he hit town, but opted for the Marines as a way to make a living. After his service — he was on the front lines of the Gulf War in 1990 — he started making the hits.

Now he's back with "Intoxication" (Big Yard/VP Records), an effervescent work that debuted on the Billboard reggae chart. It pops and percolates with dancehall and reggae beats framing Shaggy's distinctive buzz-saw baritone. Akon, Collie Buddz and Sizzla guest and longtime collaborators Rik Rok and Rayvon also appear.

However, it's not all fun and games. There's a cautionary warning on the title track not to drink and drive, and "Church Heathen" calls out hypocrisy in the church.

"Some of the songs have serious undertones," says the artist, who presently has tour dates in the U.K. and abroad. "You don't want to make a record without substance. It can be entertaining, but there's got to be some substance there, too."

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