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Buju Banton
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Track List:
1. Intro
2. 23rd Psalm - (featuring Gramps Of Morgan Heritage)
3. Voice Of Jah - (featuring LMS)
4. Sudan
5. We'll Be Alright - (featuring Luciano)
6. Pull It Up - (featuring Beres Hammond)
7. Life Is A Journey
8. Better Must Come
9. Mighty Dread
10. Poor Old Man - (featuring Stephen Marley)
11. Law & Order
12. Guns & Bombs
13. Woman Dem Phat
14. No More Misty Days - (featuring Rancid)
15. Pull It Up - (live, featuring Beres Hammond)
16. Reunion - (featuring Wayne Wonder)
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Buju Banton - Unchained Spirit
(Epitaph/Anti)
Only when Buju Banton calmed down a bit and wrapped his gruff, haunting voice around some slower, more melodic material did he begin to rise as one of the most popular reggae artists in the world. The non-Jamaican reggae massive, which has been trained from birth to dislike anything "unenlightened" (i.e. anything non-Marley, non-Tosh, etc.), recently warmed up to the former bad boy, who caused an uproar just a few years earlier with the homophobic hit, "Boom Bye Bye." Since then, Buju's balance of Rasta-infused balladry (such as 1997's "Destiny") and harder-edged dancehall has made him into a star.
A good album by a great artist, Unchained Spirit may slightly disappoint longtime fans who expect another Inna Heights; however, first-timers who have never experienced the joys of Buju's gritty voice will certainly find the new record to be a solid introduction. Unchained Spirit suffers a slight melodic imbalance, top-heavy with religious fawning and Dean Fraser's pretty saxophone. Buju begins the album with the sumptuous, yet limp "23rd Psalm" and "Voice of Jah." Though the album's first single, "Sudan," features some nifty hooks, not until the fifth track, a duet with Luciano called "We Be Alright," does the true Voice of Jamaica finally emerge atop booming reggae beats. Buju then works through some stronger material, including the undeniably catchy "Life Is a Journey" and a joyous duet with Beres Hammond called "Pull It Up." Buju cooks up a somewhat shameless Marley homage on "Poor Old Man," even going so far as to recruit Stephen Marley to approximate his father's incredible voice. "No More Misty Days," a collaboration with wannabe Clash city rockers Rancid, arrives toward the end of the record, doing little to uplift the overall mood. All in all, Unchained Spirit showcases a Buju who tries hard to please the masses, but fails to recapture the surprises of 'Til Shiloh or the mastery of Inna Heights.
So after all of this bitching, you may ask whether you should lay down your fifteen bucks and buy Unchained Spirit. Surprisingly, the answer is a resounding "Yes!" Buju is still Buju, and he still possesses one of the most inventive and unique voices in all of music. The high standards set by his work of the past decade have merely raised his bar, so when he fails to better his previous work, hardcore fans will obviously mope about in negativity. But let's not forget that even the weaker Beatles and Wailers albums are still stronger than most of what's out there, and while it may be premature to place Buju in that category of artist, his work of the past 10 years has certainly brought him halfway there. Buju is a very young artist with an abundance of powerful music ahead. Unchained Spirit is a good record that only hints at the greatness of which Buju is capable.
by Lem Oppenheimer
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