Buju Banton
The Best of Buju Banton
Hip-O / Universal
Hip-O continues its love affair with some of dancehall’s brightest luminaries. Hot on the heels of their Chaka Demus & Pliers and Capleton compilations, they have decided to laud Buju Banton. Arguably, there are no more influential dancehall artists than Buju, and, undoubtedly, his ‘Tis Shiloh is the best album the genre is yet to see. The dominance of that album on the scene and this artist is in strong evidence here with a remix treatment of “Champion,” a Latin-ish version of “Wanna Be Loved” with Los Pericos, and the inclusion of “Murderer” and the classic without equal, “Untold Stories.” But there are other great raggas in this compilation that simply cannot be ignored: “Circumstances,” “Willy (Don’t Be Silly),” “Heartbreak Lover” with Beres Hammond and Maxi Priest, and “Deportees (Things Change).” This disc is the perfect showcase of Buju’s talent. While he’s still going strong, this is a nice capsule of his early work, an essential piece of dancehall history.
Hip-O Records: http://www.hip-o.com
