Unchained Spirit
| Unchained Spirit | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 2000 | |||
| Studios |
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| Genres | ||||
| Length | 1:03:54 | |||
| Labels | ||||
| Producers | ||||
| Buju Banton chronology | ||||
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Unchained Spirit is the sixth studio album by Jamaican musician Buju Banton. It was released in 2000 via ANTI-/Epitaph Records,[1] marking it his only album for the label. Production was handled by Donovan Germain, Steven Marsden, Tony "CD" Kelly, Dean Fraser, Tyrone Downie, Stephen Marley and Buju Banton himself. It features guest appearances from Beres Hammond, Gramps Morgan, LMS, Luciano, Rancid, Stephen Marley and Wayne Wonder.[2]
In the United States, the album peaked at number 128 on the Billboard 200, number 5 on the Independent Albums and number 2 on the Reggae Albums charts. It also made it to number 40 on the UK Official Independent Albums Chart.
Critical reception
[edit]| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [3] |
| Robert Christgau |  [4] |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music |  [5] |
| The Evening Post | [6] |
| NME | [7] |
| Now |   [8] |
| (The New) Rolling Stone Album Guide | [9] |
| Spin | 7/10[10] |
David Dacks of Exclaim! wrote that "the treacle far outstrips anything resembling a tuff rhythm here ... even over the good rhythms, Buju doesn't seem to have the command he once did".[11] Rohan Preston of The Minnesota Star Tribune thought that "Buju's grainy voice flows over slowly distilled lattices of rhythms and multi-part South African-style harmonies".[12] M.F. DiBella of AllMusic defined the album as a "a vital and rhythmic mix of homegrown Jamaican philosophy, biblical harmonizing, and just plain eerie dancehall".[3]
Track listing
[edit]| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Intro" | Traditional | 0:39 |
| 2. | "23rd Psalm" (featuring Gramps Morgan) | Traditional | 5:44 |
| 3. | "Voice of Jah" (featuring LMS) | 5:01 | |
| 4. | "Sudan" | Myrie | 4:41 |
| 5. | "We'll Be Alright" (featuring Luciano) |
| 4:24 |
| 6. | "Pull It Up" (featuring Beres Hammond) | 4:09 | |
| 7. | "Life Is a Journey" | Myrie | 4:07 |
| 8. | "Better Must Come" |
| 4:12 |
| 9. | "Mighty Dread" | Myrie | 5:01 |
| 10. | "Poor Old Man" (featuring Stephen Marley) |
| 4:26 |
| 11. | "Law & Order" | Myrie | 3:51 |
| 12. | "Guns & Bombs" |
| 3:20 |
| 13. | "Woman Dem Phat" |
| 3:16 |
| 14. | "No More Misty Days" (featuring Rancid) |
| 4:01 |
| 15. | "Pull It Up (Live in Concert)" (featuring Beres Hammond) |
| 2:56 |
| 16. | "Reunion" (featuring Wayne Wonder) |
| 4:06 |
| Total length: | 1:03:54 | ||
Charts
[edit]| Chart (2000) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Independent Albums (Official Charts)[13] | 40 |
| US Billboard 200[14] | 128 |
| US Independent Albums (Billboard)[15] | 5 |
| US Reggae Albums (Billboard)[16] | 2 |
References
[edit]- ↑ Thompson, Dave (May 25, 2002). "Reggae & Caribbean Music". Hal Leonard Corporation – via Google Books.
- ↑ Wartofsky, Alona (August 16, 2000). "Buju Banton, Preacher Mon". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved September 9, 2026.
- 1 2 DiBella, M.F. "Buju Banton: Unchained Spirit Tracks & Reviews | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved September 9, 2026.
- ↑ Christgau, Robert. "Robert Christgau: CG: Buju Banton". www.robertchristgau.com. Retrieved September 9, 2026.
- ↑ Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 1. MUZE. p. 409.
- ↑ Greeks, Polly (August 31, 2000). "Movies & Music". The Evening Post. Features. p. 17.
- ↑ "Unchained Spirit". NME. September 12, 2005. Retrieved September 9, 2026.
- ↑ Galloway, Matt (August 17, 2000). "NOW On / Music / Discs / Aug 17 - 23, 2000". NOW Toronto. Retrieved December 1, 2005.
- ↑ O., E. (2004). Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian David (eds.). (The New) Rolling Stone Album Guide. Simon and Schuster. p. 44. ISBN 978-0-7432-0169-8.
- ↑ Kenner, Rob (September 2000). "Jump Cuts". Spin. Vol. 16, no. 9. SPIN Media LLC. p. 189. ISSN 0886-3032. Retrieved September 9, 2026 – via Google Books.
- ↑ Dacks, David (October 1, 2000). "Buju Banton | Unchained Spirit". Exclaim!. Retrieved September 9, 2026.
- ↑ Preston, Rohan (August 20, 2000). "POP MUSIC". The Star Tribune. p. 7F.
- ↑ "Official Independent Albums Chart on 30/7/2000 – Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 9, 2026.
- ↑ "Buju Banton Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved September 9, 2026.
- ↑ "Buju Banton Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved September 9, 2026.
- ↑ "Buju Banton Chart History (Reggae Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved September 9, 2026.
External links
[edit]- Buju Banton – Unchained Spirit at Discogs (list of releases)
