Mini-Review: 7th Heaven by Dezarie

"7th Heaven" by Dezarie [Tikur Anbessa Records]

Okay so, back in January when I was putting together our list for Best Reggae Albums of 2025, I was damn happy that I could include the name Dezarie whose "Guardian" would take spot #2. Besides possessing a downright ODD talent level, the gifted Cruzan Roots queen can be somewhat on the reclusive side when it comes to recordings. She's not terribly active and never has been, REALLY, so I was mightily surprised when I saw that Dezarie was already back with a brand new release for 2026, "7th Heaven". The new project comes via Tikur Anbessa Records (and via our old friends at Zojak Worldwide), a label from out of California in the States PROBABLY best known for 'its' work with Fikir Amlak - who owns and operates it as far as I know. "7th Heaven" clocks in at about half an hour spread over the course of seven tracks. Call it an album (which I think they are) or an EP, I thought it was a prime candidate for a mini-review that we've been doing as of late. 

In case you haven't been paying much attention to her work through the years, Dezarie is kind of a big deal and her fans will respond to her work in a very unique way. Because of that, I'm thoroughly pleased to see the amount of early reaction that the new project has already generated, having just been out a couple of days now as of this writing. It's expected, as I said, but always refreshing to see someone who has a very specific sort of [ULTRA-PASSIONATE] following do something to pique their interests and to get them to emerge from... doing whatever they're doing when they're not listening to Dezarie. "7th Heaven" gets started with what I'm going to call its best, 'Far From Dem'. 

'Far From Dem' is STUNNING! You hear me?! It is STUNNING! On one of the single finest tunes that I've heard from anyone at all this year, Dezarie shines a big, bright light on those who live in the darkness far, far away from anything positive at all ["GO TO HELL, NOT TO VISIT"]. The song has a beautiful... kind of spurting vibes to it, where she dashes in and out and then sings and just captivates and dazzles her listeners on every single level. Next is another glorious tune that I'm presuming is a single (because it has a video that you'll find in here somewhere), 'Shield'. Taken from a spiritual/biblical point of view, you should know precisely what's going on with this track, a heavy praiser. The biggest attraction is definitely that SOUND but, for the most studious of ears (which I own two of), lies a well written selection beneath all of that audio sunlight and cool breeze that rests atop it. 'Shield' begins a stretch of three similarly themed records of exceedingly high quality as both 'Jah Will' and 'Conqueror' follow it and cement the idea completely. Both of these tunes are in the stars somewhere. They are SOARING. I hesitate in choosing a favourite between the two (because I just did and before I typed it out, I'd changed my mind) but both register in similar regions (you know where) and are absolutely gorgeous music! 

I was really curious to hear the route that 'Forgive Yourself' took and I was happy with both its course and its subsequent (and expected) immense quality. 

"You can't change what happened

Forgive yourself"

If you stick around long enough, you'll accumulate some BAGGAGE existing on this planet and we all have quite a bit of it. This is a song DIRECTLY about mental health and at least efforting to do your best to let it go because it can be absolutely CRUSHING. It's time to let yourself out of your own prison and commute your sentence! It's also a gold bar of a song. It is GORGEOUS! Check 'That Day', which I probably should have put into the previous stretch of songs ('Jah Will' & 'Conqueror') because it fits right in there (don't feel like going back and changing it now though) in exalting The Almighty. Let's briefly get into this one because when you realize what's going on, 'That Day' SWELLS to the degree where, at least in my opinion, it's no worse than the second best song on the whole of "7th Heaven" (and should you want to make the case that it's #1, you can go right ahead and do that with a heavy hand). The song finds her dealing with a couple of different days, BRILLIANTLY. She touches both November 2nd and 23rd of  July (the days on which Haile Selassie I was crowned and born, respectively) with their own substance and buttressing. This is IMMACULATE work. This is sourced through inspiration of only the highest level imaginable and downright masterful music in my opinion. Had it ended right there, "7th Heaven" would have been just fine but I may've made the case that it cold have used just a touch more SPICE to it. A little pepper would made this dish perfect... and of course Dezarie supplies said heat on the closer, 'Heaven On Earth'. It starts off nice and serene and.... then this happens:

"Food, air and water - it be contaminated

Spiritual wickedness in high and low placement

Intimidate to make the timid complacent

FEAR TACTICS ALIGN WITH THE DEVIL ADJACENT

And alla babylon proposals indecent

Evil device and instruments of mistreatment

Brutality in uniform make a statement"

Dezarie SCALDS on a high-level social commentary with a spiritual heart for one of the most magical moments on the whole of "7th Heaven".

Overall, while I've made it a point to not give ratings during this things, here is your 5/5. This thing is fantastic and Dezarie continues her roll. If the year ended right now (and we're getting there) most likely, with "7th Heaven", she Dezarie would have the year's best EP, to go along with "Power Shift", my current favourite album of 2026. SPECIAL!

"7th Heaven In Dub" by Dezarie [Tikur Anbessa Records]

....but look now at that! It took me SO LONG to get this thing up and out that Tikur Anbessa followed up "7th Heaven" with a dubbed out version of the set, "7th Heaven In Dub", three months later. WHAT A LOVELY IDEA! This thing (like they always do) (at least they always do when the work is good) really lights up the musicianship on the EP.

As you would expect and predict, everything here is just fine but, for me, particular standouts are both 'Shield Dub' & 'Jah Will Dub'; with the latter being my favourite out of them all. The vibes of "7th Heaven", for the vast majority, are on the lighter side and it isn't the typical sound that you hear as the basis for Dub (at least not for me and, as I've said many times in  the past, I am no expert on the topic) (or anything else for that matter) but it can get kind of heavy! Check 'That Day Dub', for example:

More on the standard type of Dub that you will come across, it still SHINES! 

Over overall, taken as a whole "7th Heaven" is fantastic. It represents some of the strongest music that I've heard from anyone this year as we look up and Dezarie has caught fire! "The Phoenix" has risen and laid her claim as THE star of 2026. OUTSTANDING.