Search - Ras Shiloh :: From Rasta to You

Garnet Silk Would Be Proud!

Mamadou Basko | 01/23/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Starting with a stunning duo of the song "Complain" with Garnet Silk, Ras Shiloh is phenomenal in this album. From Rasta To You, which is one of a key song to the album and the album's title, will give anybody, who truly loves reggae, a great appetite to play it over and over again. Nostalgia would freeze you when hearing "Remember The Times." "Men Love Your Women" will make you fall in love all over again. "From Rasta To You" ask for compassion. There's no way to get through the whole album. It's a must for all the conscious folks out there who just love reggae at it's best. I don't believe we lost Silk, we just have the drink in a different glass. Thank You Ras Shiloh."

I Can't Stop Listening. . .

Achis | Kingston, JA/Philipsburg, SxM | 11/25/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"A few times every year, I end up rather shamefully crawling through my own closet, rummaging through that year's build up of albums, which for one reason or another, never actually made it into my cdplayer. I literally end up spending hours opening brand new packages and listening to dozens and dozens of discs. This year, like them all, there were a ton of riddim albums (i.e. the Caribbean Style, the Good to Go, the Tiajuana etc.), and also like them all, there was a crowning jewel album of the closet.



This year it came in the form of the four year old From Rasta to You which i have virtually no recollection of ever buying or picking up at anytime, but I must confess to being 4 years too late to catching this bus, but luckily its still on schedule. From the moment I set it in motion, From Rasta to You has yet to leave my cd player at all! Not one time! And that was roughly 10 days ago.



The forever overlooked US born Shiloh was originally cast as simply a clone of the late great Garnett Silk. His airy vocals were immediately reminiscent of Silk who was set for great things before his untimely death. Some cast the young Shiloh as the second coming of Silk and some cast him away as just a clone. But Shiloh is no clone as some of the material on From Rasta to You could definitely stand its own in any era of reggae music.



FRtY is probably one of the most complete roots albums you'll ever hear, while its STACKED at the beginning there are big big giant tunes and vibes scattered althroughout the album. With production coming from veteran legendary dancehall producer Donovan Germain of Penthouse Records, the album was put in well capable hands and the results mirror such facts.



With so much fine material its difficult to say what the best tune here, but if you FORCED me to pick one, I would pick previous hit Child of a King, being partial to that tune because I've seen him perform it numerous times and its one of the tunes Shiloh really gets into performing. Of course you have to check what is probably the biggest tune of his career, Are You Satisfied, his cut of Tony Rebel's Lalabella riddim which was arguably an even bigger hit than Rebel's own Jah is by My Side. Both of the tunes were so huge that they also made one of Shiloh's earlier albums as well, Babylon You Doom (and might actually make his next album as well!)



Also check many of the other songs; The MASSIVE Rolling With Life Blows, one of the bounciest tunes on the album, backed with a strong Dean Fraser saxophone and a nice Lenky (who plays on almost all of the album, as at the time he was Germain's primary engineer and right hand man) keyboarding. Check the two combinations definitely; the first with Shiloh and his greatest source of inspiration, Garnett Silk himself, presenting the vocals to one his biggest hits, posthumously, Complain; and the second being a well powerful Give I Strength with Buju. Give I Strength is huge and would not have been too far out of place on Buju's own seminal classic, the aptly named (for this review) 'Til Shiloh.



I would recommend each and every track on the album, but 3 more highlights I'd feel bad if I didn't mention by name; Definitely check Trodding, which is probably the best usage of backup singers on the entire album. The, unfortunately uncredited female/s backup singers do a very nice job with the song. Check the title track definitely! One of the more melodic tracks from the album, and actually an excellent title for the type of album it is, it is in fact an introduction as it is his biggest album to date. Lastly (okay i might be about to mention 2 songs!) check the divine Running Away from love and one of the best tracks on the album, the outstanding message which is Men Love Your Women. The message is pretty self-explanatory but is such a nice vibes over a timeless one-drop by Sly Dunbar and Lenky again.



Overall, this is a can't miss! One of the biggest albums I've ever heard seriously From Rasta to You is big! I wish I had come across this one in the vibes of listening to his new album, but FRtY is in fact his most recent one. However, with recent hits such as the mighty Rastaman in the Hills and his works with Lionvibes, hopefully he is gathering material for the followup, because a note as high as From Rasta to You is entirely too high of a note to go out on. AMAZING!"

You Need This In Your Collection!!!

J Brown | Hamilton, Ontario, Canada | 11/23/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I found this cd accidentally while rummaging through a bargain bin, and it's the most treasured cd I have ever owned. I am currently in the process of replacing it. I bought it in February of 2003, and fell in love with it immediately. I had never even heard of Ras Shiloh before, but after seeing the names of the songs (esp. Men Love Your Women), and then reading the lyrics--I had to get it!! Each song has so much meaning behind it, it just makes you stop and think about life differently, remember the old days, think about loved ones, and just feel really good listening to the cd. He does ballads beautifully, but has a very strong presence of every single song. This cd has something for everyone. Each song sounds different, and has a different message. You will not regret buying this cd.What you will enjoy most about From Rasta To You, is the way Ras Shiloh sings each song, the lyrics, and the music behind the songs. Sly or Robbie (i'm not sure which one) is responsible for some of the better tunes on this album, but they were all well done. The opening song with the late Garnett Silk is a nice start. Some of my other favourites are Rolling With Life Blows, Child of a Slave, Give I Strength with Buju Banton, and the remake of More Than Words Can Say, which really is more than I can say to describe how good this cd is. I could go on for days telling you why you need this in your collection, but see for yourself. This album is one of the best I've ever heard and I know you will agree. Don't even think about--just get it!! I promise you won't regret it!!"