Search - Buju Banton :: Til Shiloh

Buju Enters His Conscious Phase

PrinceNikodeem | 10/26/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This album definitely marks a turning point in Buju Banton's career, and his fanbase is usually divided into two camps when offering their assessment of it: those who mourn the loss of the pre-Rasta, rudebwoy Buju famous for tunes about busting his gun and laying pipe with the ladies (mostly drawn from the ranks of the old school, die-hard, dancehall massive who were bumping his tunes in the early days), and those who just discovered Buju at this point in his career (mostly non-Jamaicans looking for a new Bob Marley to listen to as they smoke weed in their suburban bedrooms or college dorms) for whom his earlier music is mostly inaccessible (by which I mean that even if they manage to track down classics like "Dutty Sinting" or "Boom Bye Bye" they not only have trouble deciphering the lingua, but are usually roundly disgusted by the lyrical content when they do).



My sensibilities are more in sync with those fans in the former category, but unlike some of my more dogmatic brethren, I do enjoy watching Mr. Myrie evolve and grow as a person and an artiste. Granted, some of his post-Til Shiloh discs have "crossover" written all over them, but I think that on this one, he got it right.



There are very few missteps here. The album opens with a sparse, prayer-like invocation of Ras Tafari, pledging devotion to the Emperor until his kingdom comes again, and merges so quickly and effortlessly into the rich, Nyabinghi chant-inspired "'Til I'm Laid to Rest", that the listener is swept into Buju's world as by a strong river current. From there, Buju rarely lets you go, carrying you with him through conscious tunes (such as "Murderer", "Untold Stories", "Not an Easy Road", and "Rampage"), love songs (such as "Wanna Be Loved", and "Only Man") and straight-ahead slackness tunes ("Hush Baby Hush" and "Champion").



This album is very personal. It is not a crass attempt to curry favour among the foreigners, as some would have it. Buju is going through a spiritual and emotional journey on this record, and he effectively carries the listener with him throughout. Like most great artistes (Bob Marley, John Lennon, Sam Cooke...) Buju emerges on this disc as a man of contradictions, but a deep and engaging character nonetheless. This is, in my opinion, Buju's first stab at a concept album, and in my assessment, he hits his mark and hits it hard. Forward ahead, Gargamel! Til Shiloh!"

Who feels it knows...

Cindy F. Austin | Pratt, KS USA | 08/27/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This is an awesome dancehall/modern reggae album. I love how Buju half-toasts and half-sings most of the songs. About 10 of the songs are absolutely brilliant, while the other 7 are just mediocore. Plus, be warned that Buju's voice takes a little getting-used-to if this is the first time you've heard him. Once the album becomes familiar, though, it will be hard NOT to listen to it. The best songs are "Untold Stories," "Not An Easy Road," "Murderer," "'Til I'm Laid To Rest," and "Wanna Be Loved."



On a side note, other reviewers have stated that Buju is in trouble for beating up a homosexual. This album doesn't reflect that. Don't be afraid to buy this album just because you think it is going to bash homosexuals. It doesn't. I don't even see how someone can sing these songs and actually hate anyone. If he does, he truly doesn't practice what he preaches."