Sizzla Kalonji Gets "Radical"!

"Radical" by Sizzla Kalonji [VP Records]

1. 'Fly High, Fly Low'

2. 'Sad Mistake'

3. 'That's Why I Love You'

4. 'All The Time'

5. 'It's A Rocky Road'

6. 'Golden Rule'

7. 'I'm A Winner'

8. 'Radical'

9. 'Everybody Has To Live'

10. 'Burn Dem Schism'

11. 'What's Wrong With The Picture'

12. 'Groove With Me'

13. 'Jah Protect My Life'

14. 'Best Thing In My Life'

15. 'Hardcore'

16. 'I Am No Better' 

Biggup Bredz for [everything] at least temporarily talking me out of doing a full review more than three weeks ahead of the release date of "Radical", the brand new album from Sizzla Kalonji via VP Records because I've now heard the entire album and am DAMN impressed. So with a RE-view passed on for the moment (and if I can go the next three and a half weeks without reviewing this album, I'll be even more impressed… with myself), at the very least, a full preview was definitely in order.

Preview? "Radical" is very, very good. The album is being pushed as "a new compilation of Sizzla songs recorded between 1992 and 2003" and "the collection unearths songs from some of the Xterminator label sessions that forged his best early work including Praise Ye Jah" and, in both cases, it sounds like it. There were two REALLY strong songs which kind of led the way for me, the title track and 'Sad Mistake'. The former is downright royal and shares a history with 'Greedy Joe', which actually appears on the aforementioned "Praise Ye Jah" album. It most certainly is vintage Sizzla Kalonji and it was joyous to listen to.

"You say how good Mr. So and So is -

No gimmi dat 

MR. SO IS SO WICKED!"

As for 'Sad Mistake' it actually is not the Free Willy produced song of the same name and, instead, it is another GEM of an intoxicating song featuring a very youthful sounding Kalonji. 

"All dem they will get up everyday and ah hurt dem bredda

Know seh fi unuh, mi nah stop bun fyah" 

GRRRR! I'm also really enjoying the bouncing 'Hardcore' with its old school deejaying style, 'Golden Rule', 'It's A Rocky Road' and others still. This is a very unique album and one which, in a kind of forward-thinking retrospect, isn't very surprising. During his rise, Sizzla's prolificacy may've just been one of the most devastating in the history of Reggae music, so one would think that he’s left albums full of material for a variety of different producers and, presumably, none of them would have more ammunition than his longtime homebase, Xterminator, who helms this release. 

I'd still have to put a reviewer's ear to this album to be certain, but as it stands now, "Radical" may just prove to be exceptional. Find out for yourself when it reaches stores courtesy of XTM Nation and VP Records on April 14.

[Note: Also be sure to check out Sizzla Kalonji's most recent album, "Nuh Worry Unu Self", which is currently available]

[Note 2: We've seen two different tracklists for this album, but both feature the same sixteen songs]
[Note 3: Post #1301!]
[Note 4: BOOM!]