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Haile I Hymn (Chapter 1) (Island, 1978)

When you have only four songs on an album, they better all be boom shots, right? Well, I wish that I could say that the four tracks on Haile I Hymn are all classics, but even though they're not, I don't feel cheated out of my money (since I stole it...kidding). Although "Jah Heavy Load" was a hit, no one song particularly sticks out. Instead, they all form an airy, spiritually beautiful mosaic of music. Ijahman (AKA Ijahman Levi) seems about as strict a Rastafarian as they come, apparent from the album's song titles. Still, he could be reciting Congressional testimony as far as I'm concerned, for the true appeal of Ijahman is the voice. His buttery smooth, sweet vocals and emotionally potent delivery make a mediocre song mesmerizing. The subdued music on this, his debut album, blend with his voice so well that you may end up drifting away to some dreamland; perhaps too well, though, as some may find it a tad dull. 

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Are We a Warrior (Island, 1979)

Ijahman's sophomore album contains the familiarly supple vocals, but this time the music is more identifiable, allowing it to escape the dominance of his wonderful voice. Nowhere is this more apparent than in "Moulding," an instant classic with horns that blare with an imperial power equivalent to Ijahman's voice. In an interesting juxtaposition, the ancient-sounding trumpets are accompanied by a modern digital bubbly bass line. The overall effect is butter, making "Moulding" one of the greatest reggae songs (or non-reggae, for that matter) of all time. Everything else on this album -- "everything" being 4 other songs -- pales in comparison, but the emotive title track would stand out on any album, and "Miss Beverly" is as good as anything on Ijahman's first album. Only the sentimental "Two Sides of Love" disappoints, but the highs on Are We a Warrior easily overpower the lows.

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Inside Out (Jahmani, 1989)

This is simply one of Ijahman's best albums.  His airy yet militant vocals immerse these songs in an inextricably sweet beauty.  Even the worst songs here -- "I Want to Be Free" and "Madgie" -- are still not bad.  The modern-day classic "Bob & Friends Over There" is probably the best track on Inside Out -- its bouncy bass line contrasting ingeniusly with the serious lyrics of fallen comrades in Heaven ("Bob" being Bob Marley).  Still, "Bob & Friends" gets stiff competition from the intoxicating lovers-styled "I Fell in Love," the precautionary "Are You Sure" (despite some homophobic undertones), and "Mr. C.B.," a great dis of former Island Records boss Chris Blackwell (who sold the label to Polygram around the time of this album, pocketing some $100 million).  A very nice remake of Ijahman's own "Jah Heavy Load" rounds out the album.  I was never a huge fan of the original version, but this one is slightly sped up with a heavier beat added, which, when crossed with the lovely guitar, brings out the song's true potential.

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Africa (Jahmani, 1991 [orig. released 1984])

After having moved from Island, Ijahman seems to exude a sense of freedom through his work.  While his voice has always been dreamy and otherworldly, his backing music on Africa matches the free-flowing, intoxicating nature of his vocals.  Each musical instrument is distinguishable and vital to this cornucopia of sound, from the horns to the bass to the keyboards to the drums and particularly to the uniquely bluesy/jazzy electric guitar that permeates many of the tracks.  Still, I wouldn't deem any of the songs on Africa as classic; it's the hypnotic sound that carries them through.  That's not to say that there isn't very good stuff here, however.  The title cut, "To Be Loved By Jah," and "Jesus Selassie I Keepeth My Soul" are all emotion-packed gems.  "Ancient Lover" and "Africa Crisis" are also nice, although their sound is a bit more generic.  Note: although my CD cover lists 8 tracks, there are only 7 here; the song "Play Girl," though listed, is not on Africa (not on my copy, at least).

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Love Smiles (Jahmani, 1991)

Love Smiles is underwhelming -- it doesn't have any tracks I would peg as being among Ijahman's all-time greats -- but it's nonetheless consistently solid.  The sound of this album -- peppered as it is with late '80s/early '90s dancehall and synth reggae beats -- took me aback a bit, but I learned to focus more on Ijahman's soothing vocals and melodies 9 (although the hard rhythm of "Looking Holy" proves to be too dominant for his voice) than on the sometimes cheap-sounding music.  As usual, Ijahman makes economical use of his material, with only 8 tracks, the best being the more muted, softer ones like "I Art Jah Watchman," "Here Comes the Night," "Oh Madgie," and "Why Do I Worry" (with the exception of the dancehall-esque bass of the strong "Book of Prophecy").  If there's a bad Ijahman album out there, I haven't heard it.

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Track Listing 1. Pillow Talk 2. High Price Crisis 3. Stop the War 4. On Dub Track 5. Dial L for Love 6. Willow Blue 7. Love At First Sight 8. On Version Track

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Gemini Man (Jahmani, 1993)

Unfortunately for fans of traditional roots reggae, Ijahman continues riding the digital wave on Gemini Man, leading to a very average, uninspired effort that is reflective of the uneven quality of his work in the '90s and beyond.  I was prepared to turn off my stereo after the first few tracks, whose lyrics oddly sound like cheesy pick-up lines (talking about his zodiac sign on "I'm a Gemini," and what the hell does "let's get eclipse" mean?  Is there a Mitsubishi sale?), but things improved after that, with the bouncy dancehall of "Prayers in Your Heart," the impassioned lovers rock rendition of the weepy standard "I Who Have Nothing," an updated (complete with new lyrcis) dancehall version of "Jah Heavy Load," and the rousing "Earth No Heaven."  The latter track is easily the best one here, largely because it's the only one whose music -- a dynamic mix of roots and dancehall with African drums, classical strings, and even a bit of electric guitar -- rises beyond the generic early '90s digital sound.

Track Listing 1. Amnesty 2. I'm a Gemini 3. Let's Get Eclipse 4. Prayers in Your Heart 5. I Who Have Nothing 6. Earth No Heaven 7. I've Got to Carry Jah Heavy Load 8. With You

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Entitlement (Jahmani, 1993)

An Ijahman album with more than 9 songs? Say it ain't so! Well, since it's a "greatest hits" collection, he could find that many tracks. Actually, in many ways, this isn't a "greatest hits" or "best of" compilation so much as it is a sampler, for it contains 12 tracks -- one from each of his first 12 albums. This is a great idea for Ijahman, since he has so many albums (about 20), most of which are short (under 10 songs) and cost a good amount while having relatively little exposure (being released on his own label). Thus, they are what we reggae fans term "risky" (The lingo is hard to pick up, no?). Of course, Ijahman's first 2 albums are on Island Records, so they are more popular and don't cost quite as much, but having only 4 and 5 songs respectively, they are still. . . (repeat after me) "risky." That said, Entitlement is well worth the money. If you have been curious about this spiritual dude with the cool name, but too scared to shell out $$$ for 8 songs from someone you don't know, then this sampler is perfect for you. Even if you know Ijahman, it may help you choose which album of his to buy next. Ijahman has the most intoxicating voice in reggae, and he puts it to good use on the slow, funky ballad "Lilly of the Valley," (It's a bit weird to hear, but he makes the transition to love songs quite well.) and the brilliant up tempo grooves "Bob & Friends Over There" and "Marcus Hero." Arranged in chronological order, Entitlement saves the worst 3 songs for last, a sign of the increasingly dubious nature of his material over the latter part of his career.

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Ijahman & Friends (Jahmani, 1993 [orig. released 1988])

Consisting of 6 vocal tracks and 6 dubs, this album doesn't leave much room for Ijahman's "friends" to perform.  On top of that, Ijahman sings 3 of the songs, leaving only 3 for his buddies.  Luckily, he only has 3 friends: Black Uhuru, Clive Brown, and His Majesterian.  All of the vocal tracks -- except perhaps for Brown's "Mellow Music" -- are solid and worth a listen.  Ijahman's tracks are typically cool and powerful, with "Master Ideas" featuring a unique (for him, at least) stripped-down old-school dancehall rhythm.  "African Train" is a poignant tale of repatriation with the unique (in general, not just for him) point of view of being joyous about going to Africa but sad about leaving one's family.  Black Uhuru and His Majesterian meanwhile contribute strong old-fashioned tunes, the former's "Let Him Go" being a vintage love song and the latter's "Jah Is Coming Again" being a catchy righteous jam.  The music is not the strong point of these songs, however, and thus the dubs are rather bland, detracting from the impact of the tunes and the album as a whole.  If Ijahman & Friends contained just the 6 vocal tracks (which would not be unusual for Ijahman), it would be a much better, much more consistent work.

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Black Royalties (Jahmani, 1994)

Like Gemini Man, Black Royalties is a mediocre entry with indistinct digital riddims and unfulfilling melodies.  For big Ijahman fans, however, these albums may still be good enough, even though they're not particularly good (newcomers, though, beware).  Black Royalties in particular, has a couple of nice tracks in "Blessed Ones" and "King Rastafari," both impassioned righteous teachings that blend roots and dancehall.  "Take Your Time" meanwhile finishes off the set on a solid lovers note.  The rest, sadly, will likely bore even the biggest Ijahman fan, and it's hard to convince anyone to pay full album price for 3 songs.

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Beauty and the Lion (Jahmani, 1996)

It's truly inspirational how Ijahman can still put out such quality material after all these years.  It's amazing not only because he's been doing it for so long, but also because he's managed to do it outside of the typical, traditional channels.  Except for his first two albums, he has released all of his material on his own label, writing and producing everything, and using his friends and even his family members (his wife Madge) as backing support.  Ijahman prides himself on this non-mainstream approach, partly because of his unpleasant association with Island Records and its head Chris Blackwell and partly simply because of his religious morals.  This attitude is no more apparent than in the passionate "I Sing the Albums," where he utters, "If I was a hippy go lucky Rastaman, I know a man, Millionaire Blackwell, willing to spend his money on my gifted talent.  I walk with the rod of God in my hand in and out of the House of Island. . ."  You can always count on Ijahman for some thought-provoking lyrics.  Sometimes this isn't a compliment, though, as his somewhat misogynistic religious beliefs reveal in the title track: "Beauty and the lion.   Woman is a woman, and a man is the master in the house. . ."  Aside from "I Sing the Albums," the best tune on Beauty and the Lion is the poignant "Perilous Time," which features a nice, weepy electric guitar.  "Knock Knock," the title track (despite the message), "Love in a Bungle" (Keep the bunghole jokes to yourself, Beavis.), and "Rasta Ancient Lovers" are also quite nice, making this a strong, consistent effort.

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ArkArt (Jahmani, 2000)

It's always a little sad when you allow the thought to creep into your mind that a venerated star has passed his prime.  Although Ijahman produced some remarkably solid material during the '90s (Beauty and the Lion, for example), I can't help but feel that on ArkArt, he has the sound of a fallen great.  His voice, which has always been silky smooth, here sounds much more fragile and unsure, similar to (though not nearly as bad as) Gregory Isaacs' deteriorating vocal cords.  Furthermore, the material on ArkArt is rather run-of-the-mill roots, nothing approaching the power and beauty of Ijahman's best work.  The vibrant horns and bluesy guitar of the title track are alright, but overall neither the melodies nor the music (which has a less live-instrument sound than I like to hear from him) proves fulfilling, presumably even to the biggest Ijahman fans.