Buju Banton: The Best of Buju Banton

Buju Banton: The Best of Buju Banton

2002

Hip-O/Universal Records

Format I Own it on: Compact Disc

Track Listing: 1. Champion (Remix)  2. Deportees (Things Change)  3. Murderer  4. Destiny  5. Wanna Be Loved  6. Untold Stories  7. Heartbreak Lover  8. Good Body  9. Willy (Don't Be Silly)  10. Circumstances  11. Give I Strength

Huh. This greatest hits collection came out in 2002, so I guess I should have covered it earlier...For some reason I was thinking it came out later than it did, but listening back to it, this only covers the  three albums released from 1993-1997...It's a bit skimpy, but the music on it is unimpeachable...



From 1993's "Voice of Jamica" we have "Deportees (Things Change)," "Good Body," and "Willy (Don't Be Silly)," Thanks to the socially conscious lyrics and fierce intensity of his toasting, this is the moment where Buju really made a name for himself on the world stage...And these tracks still hold up..."Deportees (Things Change) famously chastises Jamaican stars who spend all their money abroad instead of back at home where the money is needed.. It's straight-forward dancehall, but compare this to other dancehall and it suddenly strikes you how head-and-shoulders above the competition this actually is...And "Willy (Don't Be Silly)" is the catchiest anti-AIDS song ever...When you hear "Anti-AIDS"  you're kind of expecting some big, morose, preachy boner-killer of song, but that's not the case here...He just giddily reminds you to wear a rubber over some happy dancehall backdrop ...Okay...I can deal with that....Whenever I hear "Good Body" I can't help but think of this guy...

Damn you, 80's PBS for spoiling a 90's Buju Banton song! And for making me check out some naked guy's lower intestinal tract!!



"Champion (Remix)," "Murderer,"  and "Untold Stories," all come from his 1995 classic "Til' Shiloh." I'm sure you can recall me raving over all of these just the other day..."Untold Stories" still stands as his finest moment, often drawing comparisons to Bob Marley's "Redemption Song." Well, I'm not going to go that far, but it is an easy favorite of mine and the best song here... 



The track "I Wanna Be Loved" was originally on "Til' Shiloh" but the version here is a latin-tinged collaboration with Argentina's Los Pericos that comes from the 1996 compilation "Silencio=Muerte: Red Hot + Latin"...Actually, I'm not sure "tinged" is the right word to use here...Howabout Latin-soaked...This jumps right out because it's so much busier (musically speaking) than the rest of its surroundings...I might like it better than the original version......

Also from 1996, we have "Heartbreak Lover." This song wasn't on any of Buju's albums...It originates from Maxi Priest's "Man With the Fun" record...Buju is just a guest star on it...Good song...Smoother and more R&B than everything else on here...



Representing 1997's "Inna Heights" we have "Destiny," "Circumstances," and "Give I Strength." All strong tracks that highlight the roots-reggae/toasting hybrid...One of the best things about doing this blog is sometimes I'm forced to revisit things I had previously under-appreciated...In this case it's "Circumstances," which is acapella dancehall...I love acapella sections of songs, but I've never been that into songs that have no instrumentation at all,  but this overcomes any previous reservations I might have had...You pretty much just get to hear how on-his-game the guy is...and the harmonies sound so cool too...Very happy I got to rediscover this song...

Something a little more comprehensive would've been nice, but as far as quickie cash-ins go, this isn't a bad entry point...Although, I would still probably start with "Til' Shiloh."

So let's check out a song from that (and this) album..."Untold Stories" by Buju Banton...Enjoy...