| Unchained Spirit | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | August 22, 2000 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 1:03:54 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Buju Banton chronology | ||||
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Unchained Spirit is a studio album by the dancehall/reggae artist Buju Banton, released in 2000. [2] [3] It was his first and only album to be released on the ANTI- record label, an imprint of Epitaph Records.
The album peaked at No. 128 on the Billboard 200. [4]
The album contains contributions from Stephen Marley, Rancid, and Beres Hammond, among others. [1]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [5] |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music |  [6] |
| The Evening Post | [7] |
| NME | [8] |
| (The New) Rolling Stone Album Guide | [9] |
| Spin | 7/10 [10] |
Exclaim! wrote that "the treacle far outstrips anything resembling a tuff rhythm here ... even over the good rhythms, Buju doesn't seem to have the command he once did." [11] The Star Tribune thought that "Buju's grainy voice flows over slowly distilled lattices of rhythms and multi-part South African-style harmonies." [12] M.F. DiBella of AllMusic defined the album as a "a vital and rhythmic mix of homegrown Jamaican philosophy, biblical harmonizing, and just plain eerie dancehall". [5]
Mark Anthony Myrie, professionally known by his stage name Buju Banton, is a Jamaican reggae dancehall musician. He is considered one of the most significant and well-regarded artists in Jamaican music. Banton has collaborated with many international artists, including those in the hip hop, Latin and punk rock genres, as well as the sons of Bob Marley.
Roots reggae is a subgenre of reggae that deals with the everyday lives and aspirations of Africans and those in the African Diaspora, including the spiritual side of Rastafari, black liberation, revolution and the honoring of God, called Jah by Rastafarians. It is identified with the life of the ghetto sufferer, and the rural poor. Lyrical themes include spirituality and religion, struggles by artists, poverty, black pride, social issues, resistance to fascism, capitalism, corrupt government and racial oppression. A spiritual repatriation to Africa is a common theme in roots reggae.
Dancehall is a genre of Jamaican popular music that originated in the late 1970s. Initially, dancehall was a more sparse version of reggae than the roots style, which had dominated much of the 1970s. In the mid-1980s, digital instrumentation became more prevalent, changing the sound considerably, with digital dancehall becoming increasingly characterized by faster rhythms. Key elements of dancehall music include its extensive use of Jamaican Patois rather than Jamaican standard English and a focus on the track instrumentals.
The Grammy Award for Best Reggae Album is an award presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1985 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for quality works in the reggae music genre. Honors in several categories are presented at the ceremony annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to "honor artistic achievement, technical proficiency and overall excellence in the recording industry, without regard to album sales or chart position".
'Til Shiloh is the fourth album by Jamaican dancehall artist Buju Banton, released in 1995 by Loose Cannon Records, a short-lived subsidiary of Island Records. In 2019 the album was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
Beres Hammond OJ is a Jamaican reggae singer known in particular for his lovers rock music. While his career began in the 1970s, he reached his greatest success in the 1990s.
Jah Cure, or Iyah Cure is a Jamaican reggae musician, who was raised in Kingston. He was given the name Jah Cure by Capleton whom he met while growing up in Kingston.
Madhouse Records is a record label founded by Dave Kelly and his business partner Janet Davidson. The label is named after its out-of-the-box approach to making music, which earned the label the name Madhouse. In 1987, Janet was living in London, running Germain Music along with producer Donovan Germain. She was also the manager of Maxi Priest. Dave's brother Anthony "Tony" Kelly was assistant engineer at Bob Marley's Tuff Gong label and Dave soon joined him there, learning the trade of engineering. Soon, the Kelly brothers joined Maxi Priest on the road as tour engineers. In 1988, Dave Kelly partnered with Germain to start Penthouse Productions, where he worked out of Penthouse studios as engineer, producer, writer, mixer, and beat maker for the label's records, playing a crucial role during Penthouse's glory days.
Reggae fusion is a genre of reggae that mixes reggae or dancehall with other genres, such as pop, rock, hip hop, R&B, jazz, funk and drum and bass.
Voice of Jamaica is the third studio album by Jamaican dancehall reggae artist Buju Banton. It was released on August 3, 1993 via Mercury Records/PolyGram and was his international debut. Its remastered and expanded edition was released in 2002 with additional tracks. Recorded in Kingston and New York City, the album is considered to be the one that introduced Banton to the world outside Jamaica, also bringing dancehall to the wider world.
Inna Heights is the fifth studio album by Jamaican dancehall reggae artist Buju Banton. It was released on November 18, 1997 through Penthouse Records. Production was handled by Donovan Germain. It features guest appearances from Beres Hammond, Jahmali, King Stitt, Ras Shiloh, Red Rat and Toots Hibbert. The album was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Reggae Album at the 41st Annual Grammy Awards, but lost to Sly and Robbie's Friends.
Friends for Life is the seventh studio album by Jamaican recording artist Buju Banton. It was released on March 11, 2003 through VP Music Group with exclusive distribution via Atlantic Records. Production was primarily handled by Donovan Germain and Buju Banton, along with Cool & Dre, Jammy "Jamz" James, Sheldon Stewart, Sly Dunbar, Steely & Clevie, Steven "Lenky" Marsden. It features guest appearances from Beres Hammond, Bounty Killer, Fat Joe, Nadine Sutherland, Sons & Daughters Choir and Wayne Wonder. The album peaked at number 198 on the US Billboard 200 album chart, and was nominated for Grammy Award for Best Reggae Album at the 46th Annual Grammy Awards, but lost to Sean Paul's Dutty Rock. The album was supported with charted single "Paid Not Played", which peaked at number 84 on the Official Singles Chart Top 100 in the UK.
Too Bad is the eighth studio album by dancehall artist Buju Banton, released on September 12, 2006.
Donovan Germain is a reggae producer, one of the most successful of the digital era.
Mega Banton is a Jamaican dancehall deejay who came to prominence in the early 1990s.
Robert Ffrench is a Jamaican reggae singer and record producer.
Kemar McGregor, also known by his nicknames, DJ Flava and Flava McGregor, is a Jamaican-American pop reggae producer. He has recorded and produced music for the most renowned artists in the music industry, including Sinead O'Connor, Musiq Soulchild, Syleena Johnson, Jon Secada, Maxi Priest, Sizzla, Marcia Griffiths, Beenie Man, Wayne Wonder, Buju Banton, Capleton, Sanchez, Freddie McGregor, Luciano, Sugar Minott, Barrington Levy, Gregory Isaacs, Morgan Heritage, Half Pint, Tanya Stephens, Gyptian, Cas Haley, Beres Hammond, Glen Washington, Etana and Cocoa Tea, among many others. McGregor is the owner and chief executive officer of FM Records.
Delroy Isaac Foster, better known as Delly Ranx, is a Jamaican dancehall deejay and record producer.
Reggae Gold 2012 is a compilation reggae album from VP Records. It was released on June 26, 2012 and Reggae Gold is an annual series from VP Records. It was launched in 1992. This Reggae Gold 2012 is the 20th edition of the series and it is a double disc CD which commemorates the series’ 20th anniversary. Since 1992, Reggae Gold has been a popular series and a big seller for VP Records. A series select each year’s most popular tunes of dancehall, roots, reggae, lovers rock.
Live N Livin is the seventh studio album by Jamaican dancehall singer Sean Paul, released on 12 March 2021 by his label Dutty Rock Productions. Recorded in Jamaica in various studios, It features collaborations with Assassin, Bugle, Buju Banton, Busy Signal, Chi Ching Ching, Damian Marley, Govana, Intence, Jesse Royal, Leftside, Looga Man, Masicka, Mavado, Mutabaruka, Ras Ajai, Serani, Skillibeng, Sotto Bless, Squash, Stonebwoy, and Suku Ward 21.
