Til Shiloh

When this 1995 LP hit the airwaves, all of reggaedom exhaled, and Banton instantly became the sun around which all other reggae artists revolve. He satisfied reggae music/culture's constant craving for an object of worship by delivering an album that could've come from Bob Marley's canon at the same time that it's quintessentially Buju. Banton's coarse, dancehall-honed bass rap breaks out into song for the first time here, fulfilling Marley's demand that reggae vocals be r-r-r-r-rough, never "pretty-pretty." And what songs they are! From the title track to "Til I'm Laid to Rest" this masterwork is a true soul satisfier. Banton also follows the lead of reggae's holy ghost by perserving his versatility, in particular by not abandoning his dancehall roots. Irresistible "Win' up and skin out" turns like "Champion" elucidate the undeniable link between mountain top Rastaman and dancehall rude bway.