The Messenjah's Calling: The Best of Luciano

Luciano

Consistency definitely has its place. Over the years, Luciano probably has been THE most consistent artist of the current bunch of modern Roots Reggae figures. He inherited his role as the dominant singer of the sub-genre from the late and great Garnet Silk which is coming up on fifteen years ago now. If you think about what his most well known peers were doing fifteen years ago, they were either too young to be doing ANYTHING consistently (i.e. Sizzla & Anthony B) or simply doing something else at the time (i.e. Capleton & Buju), but 'The Messenjah' has been plugging along the entire way. He's also been EXTREMELY active on the album side, having who knows how many to his credit. Thus, to at least attempt to narrow down the most brilliant of his brilliant catalogue, I submit, for your approval, The Five Best Albums of Luciano.

{note 1: Only studio albums. No Live or compilation releases}

{note 2: I specifically left out Jet Star/Penitentiary/Charm albums which is why I limited it to only 5 albums}

#5. Serve Jah [VP Records, 2003]

Although RIDICULOUSLY underrated at this point, Serve Jah makes this list on the basis of its being simply one of the most RICHLY SPIRITUAL and BEAUTIFUL albums The Messenjah has ever created. When you take a look at that, coming from an artist whose career has been a rather large vehicle for the transportation of spirituality on one level or another, whichever album he would have had earning such accolades would have been a LOCK for this list in my opinion.

Best Tune: I Am Not Sorry

#4. A New Day [VP Records, 2001]

How much credence do you give to an entire album on the strength of a single song while the rest of that album, while certainly VERY good, may have been outdone by some of the artist in question’s other work? If you’re asking that question to me then obviously, it weighs quite a bit with me. The song, No Night In Zion, is arguably the greatest single song Luciano has ever made and one the greatest tunes that I have EVER heard. Period. The balance of A New Day was VERY GOOD also, as I said, with the other heavy hitter being the BRILLIANT Traveler and other nice tunes such as OH FATHER I LOVE THEE (!), Afrikan Skies and, of course, the title track. But No Night In Zion absolutely PARALYZED people with its quality.

Best Tune (of his entire career): No Night In Zion

#3. Where There Is Life [Island, 1995]

Major label, Island, picked quite the interesting spot for their first of two releases from Luciano and one which may not have received its fair shake in retrospect (you tack on that word ‘major’ or (please excuse me, **ahem**) ‘MAINSTREAM’ and to an album and Reggae heads scatter). You take a second and just STARE at the three tunes which open this album and it’s pretty ridiculous: There’s Who Could It Be, before that is Lord Give Me Strength and before that is It’s Me Again Jah. The opening alone might earn your way on this list, but it definitely did help that most of the rest of the songs were EXCELLENT.

Best Tune: It’s Me Again Jah

#2. One Way Ticket [VP Records, 1994]

I must be getting old but I’m almost offended that this COMPLETE GEM of an album, One Way Ticket, was now released about fifteen weeks shy of FIFTEEN YEARS ago. One Way Ticket was, in retrospect, very interested because, in my opinion, it featured a ‘version’ of Luciano still well within his developmental stages and he hadn’t grown to his complete powers as of yet (I believe it was only his forth album altogether). Still it was magic and gifted with some top notch Xterminator vibes to help. Of course, the MAMMOTH repatriation anthem of a title track (simply one of the coolest such tunes I’ve ever heard) got your attention but tunes like Black Survivor, Chant Down Babylon and Give Thanks and guest spots from Lady G, Charlie Chaplin (JAH IS ALIVE) and Cocoa Tea, kept it.

Best Tune: One Way Ticket

#1. Serious Times [VP Records, 2004]

If ever I do a list or an article concerning music that helped me change my life (not that I was a big hunkering piece of rubbish before, of course), and I just may, somewhere roughly at the top of the second half of such a list would be Serious Times. I’ve been listening to this album for over five years now and pretty much EVERY time I spin it, even now, I hear something - a lyric, a melody, a tone, a something, that I didn’t notice before and it’s ALWAYS a positive experience. The biggest compliment I think can be made to Luciano’s music is that it simply MAKES YOU FEEL GOOD, with Serious Times, I’d take it even a step further and say, WHEN I LISTEN TO THIS ALBUM, I NEVER FEEL ANYTHING BUT AMAZING. An album for the ages, personal landmark for me and the best album Luciano has ever made.

Best Tune: Alpha & Omega