Search - Sizzla :: Burning Fire

DO NOT BUY THIS ALBUM!

Achis | Kingston, JA/Philipsburg, SxM | 05/10/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I imagine when you have release as many albums as Sizzla has released and have as many albums released with your name on them, that you are allowed a little room for mistakes and they do and have happened. In Sizzla's case, an older album, Up in Fire was released a full year after it was expected, and he's had a couple of albums (Freedom Cry and Red Alert released with 2 titles which cross over from Euro-version to North American-version. But perhaps no bigger 'mistake' has been made on the exceedingly prolific Sizzla's behalf than the hybrid/mutt/mutant that is Burning Fire.



Burning Fire, too, had its share of basic problems, it was originally called Reality (and programmed with the title) and then changed to the cliche' Burning Fire, then changed back to reality and then lastly released (without being reprogrammed i.e. your computer will recognize it as 'Reality') as Burning Fire again. The tracklist changed and ultimately ended up different than what was originally promoted the final tracklist is:

1. Jah Is Love

2. Love You For Who You Are

3. Take Good Care

4. You Gonna Need My Love

5. Dress Immaculate

6. Jah Knows Best

7. No Bad Mind No Red Eye

8. Buss Brain

9. Be Yourself

10. African Queen

11. Sing a Song

12. No Man Stand Alone

13. World Leaders

14. Fire



It was also delayed twice and ultimately given the official release date of the date which was initially delayed. I'd bet a $100 to a bucket of chicken that Sizzla himself had little if anything at all to do with it. The biggest travesty here is that the songs that are on this album. . . aren't really 'for' this album. Lets examine:



Jah is Love is the same song from the Jah Knows Best album; Love You for Who You Are is really You're Better Off from the JKB album; Take Good Care is really Somewhere Oh Oh from Taking Over which was released 4 years ago in 2001; You Gonna Need My Love is the same song from the JKB album; Dress Immaculate is Profile from Taking Over; Jah Knows Best is the title track from JKB; No Bad Mine No Red Eye? It's really My Time Your Time from JKB; . . . I can stop there, of all of these songs 8 come from Jah Knows Best and the other 6 from Taking Over. It took me a second to realize it and when I finally did, I was hoping that they didnt take Subterranean Homesick Blues which was a Ras Records exclusive for their album (JKB) and a reggae tribute album which they did for Bob Dylan and sure enough the final track 'FIRE' is really Subterranean Homesick Blues.



If you have neither bought nor heard Jah Knows Best or Taking Over then you might actually be pleased with Burning Fire, its actually not a bad record just judging it musically, I'd say the best tune is Jah Is Love, which was my favorite from the JKB album, also like Thought for To. . . I mean Sing A Song and Far. . . I mean Be Yourself.



Overall, you should only buy this if you missed Jah Knows Best and Taking Over, however, as a fan the two relatively high profile albums are probably already somewhere in your collection. And shame on Penitentiary Records for putting out something like this! Both Taking Over and Jah Knows Best were released in Europe.

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