Title Artist Label Format Date

Sizzla The Chant Afrojam Music CD February 21, 2012

Track list

Chanting Rastaman Jah Made It Possible How Come feat. Jah Seed Put Away The Weapons Zimbabwe Hungry Children System Crash Look What's Happening Smoke Marijuana featuring Wippa Demus & Halloway Love Selassie I More A She Mi Love Something Special Chant

Rating : from 5 (excellent) to 1 (poor)

Vocals : 3/4

Backing : 3/4

Production : 3/4

Sound quality : 4

Sleeve : 3/4

Without any doubt Miguel Collins aka Sizzla Kalonji or simply Sizzla has revolutionized modern roots and served as a blueprint for countless singers and singjays that have emerged since he started to make a name for himself in reggae circles in the second half of the '90s with a batch of real great 7" singles and noteworthy albums such as "Praise Ye Jah" and "Black Woman & Child", both released in 1997. Since then he has released a staggering amount of records, 7" singles as well as full length albums, and thus became an enormously prolific artist, even by Jamaican standards. Initially he recorded exclusively for the late Philip "Fatis" Burrell and Bobby "Digital" Dixon, but after a few years he started working with other Jamaican producers including King Jammy's, John John, Homer Harris, and Donovan "Don Corleon" Bennett. On his first bunch of albums he managed to maintain the high quality standard he had set with his "Praise Ye Jah" and "Black Woman & Child" albums, both bringing him an international breakthrough. But then, almost inevitable, his being so prolific led to mediocricity of many of the material that reached the reggae market. Yet Sizzla again and again managed to surprise with a quality album after a few mediocre ones. His newest album, entitled "The Chant", is the result of Sizzla teaming up with Everton Moore aka Caveman -- a renowned Kingston soundman and the man who first nurtured Sizzla's prodigious talent. As with any release of Sizzla, expectations were raised high, not least due to the fact that the artist himself described it as "a breakthrough" and "a major stepping-stone in my career". Unfortunately "The Chant" doesn't fully live up to these expectations. Of course, the collection has a few good tracks, but on the other hand it also has its truly disappointing moments. It's striking to hear how poor some of the tracks are mixed and mastered, while at times hearing Sizzla sing out of key also doesn't help to make things better. But anyway, let's concentrate on the tracks that are worth hearing and forget about the rest. "Put Away The Weapons", in which he warns against fraudulent arguments for war, is a solid effort and one that can become a dancehall favoutite. It is followed by the matching "Zimbabwe", a tune inspired by his recent trip to Africa, and then "Hungry Children", a decent effort across a riddim reminiscent of "Drop Leaf" and "Istanbul", although not as strong as these hit riddims. Bob Marley's "Rat Race" riddim is revitalized for the standout "The System Mash Down". "Something Special" is a nice lovers tune, while the acoustic title track "Chant" with its nyahbingi style backing also makes a decent impression. Overall opinion is that "The Chant" can be added to the list of mediocre Sizzla albums.