''Til Shiloh'' is the fourth album by

Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...

dancehall Dancehall is a genre of Jamaican popular music that originated in the late 1970s. Initially, dancehall was a more sparse version of reggae than the roots style, which had dominated much of the 1970s.Barrow, Steve & Dalton, Peter (2004) "The Rou ...

artist

Buju Banton Mark Anthony Myrie (born 15 July 1973),Larkin, Colin (1998) "The Virgin Encyclopedia of Reggae", Virgin Books, professionally known by his stage name Buju Banton, is a Jamaican reggae dancehall musician. He is considered to be one of the most ...

, released in 1995 by Loose Cannon Records, a short-lived subsidiary of

Island Records Island Records is a multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It was founded in 1959 by Chris Blackwell, Graeme Goodall, and Leslie Kong in Jamaica, and was eventually sold to PolyGram in 1989. Island and A&M Records, anoth ...

.Cooke, Mel (2015)
Two Decades Since Til Shiloh
, ''

Jamaica Gleaner ''The Gleaner'' is an English-language, morning daily newspaper founded by two brothers, Jacob and Joshua de Cordova on 13 September 1834 in Kingston, Jamaica. Originally called the ''Daily Gleaner'', the name was changed on 7 December 1992 to ' ...

'', July 19, 2015. Retrieved July 19, 2015 In 2019 the album was certified

gold Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile met ...

by the

Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

(RIAA). The album marked a significant change in Banton's artistrty, going to a direction closer to

roots reggae Roots reggae is a subgenre of reggae that deals with the everyday lives and aspirations of Africans and those in the African Diaspora, including the spiritual side of Rastafari, black liberation, revolution and the honoring of God, called Jah ...

. ''Til Shiloh'' was widely acclaimed by critics, and is considered to be a classic album for

reggae music Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, " Do the Reggay" was the first popular song to use th ...

Music and lyrics

''Til Shiloh'' was described as an introspective record. Its themes mainly explore Buju's then newfound faith in the

Rastafari movement Rastafari, sometimes called Rastafarianism, is a religion that developed in Jamaica during the 1930s. It is classified as both a new religious movement and a social movement by scholars of religion. There is no central authority in control o ...

, with songs such as "Til I'm Laid to Rest", and "Untold Stories". This could be seen as a transition from the rude-bwoy style, made of glorifications of

gun violence Gun-related violence is violence committed with the use of a firearm. Gun-related violence may or may not be considered criminal. Criminal violence includes homicide (except when and where ruled justifiable), assault with a deadly weapon, a ...

, to a more

roots A root is the part of a plant, generally underground, that anchors the plant body, and absorbs and stores water and nutrients. Root or roots may also refer to: Art, entertainment, and media * ''The Root'' (magazine), an online magazine focusing ...

-oriented fashion. Jo-Ann Greene of

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

said that the album "consolidated his move into social awareness and adopted a more mature, reflective tone that signaled Banton's arrival as an artist able to make major creative statements". The title track, which opened the album, was based on an introduction Banton had used in live shows. According to producer Donovan Germain, Til Shiloh mean forever."

Critical reception

Angus Taylor of

BBC Music BBC Music is responsible for the music played across the BBC. The current director of music is Bob Shennan, who is also the controller of BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 6 Music, and the BBC Asian Network. Officially it is a part of the BBC's Radio o ...

commented that " this is a very listenable landmark, which reminds us that while lyrical topics may differ, musically, reggae is one".

's reviewer Jo-Ann Greene said that "this is a gentler album than its predecessor, although still very much in a dancehall style. Another masterpiece".

Robert Christgau Robert Thomas Christgau ( ; born April 18, 1942) is an American music journalist and essayist. Among the most well-known and influential music critics, he began his career in the late 1960s as one of the earliest professional rock critics and ...

stated that the record is "The most fully accomplished reggae album since the prime of

Black Uhuru Black Uhuru is a Jamaican reggae group formed in 1972, initially as Uhuru ( Swahili for 'freedom'). The group has undergone several line-up changes over the years, with Derrick "Duckie" Simpson as the mainstay. They had their most successful per ...

", praising "how he perfectly articulates empathy, vulnerability, and concern". The album was listed in the 1999 book ''The

Rough Guide Rough Guides Ltd is a British travel guide book and reference publisher, which has been owned by APA Publications since November 2017. In addition to publishing guidebooks, the company also provides a tailor-made trips service based on customer ...

: Reggae: 100 Essential CDs''.Barrow, Steve & Dalton, Peter (1999) ''Reggae: 100 Essential CDs'', Rough Guides,

Reissues

In 2002 the album an expanded and remastered edition was released on Island/IDJMG/Universal Records, featuring the tracks "Sensemilia Persecution" and "Rampage." In 2020, the album was reissued on its 25th anniversary on December 18, including remixes of "Not An Easy Road", "Wanna Be Loved" and a unreleased track called "Come Inna The Dance" as bonus tracks.

Commercial performance

On the issue dated August 5, 1995, ''Til Shiloh'' debuted at number 148 on the US ''Billboard'' 200 chart. The album also debuted at number 27 on the US

Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a music chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales in the United States and is compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The chart debuted as Hot R&B LPs in the issue dated J ...

chart. The album was eventually certified

by the

(RIAA) for sales of over 500,000 copies in the United States.

Track listing

Personnel

Wayne Wonder Von Wayne Charles (born 26 July 1972), better known by his stage name Wayne Wonder, is a Jamaican reggae artist. While his early recordings were dancehall and reggae, he later moved towards hip hop and rap. His most popular single is the 2003 ...

–

Vocals Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...

–

Garnett Silk Garnett Silk (born Garnet Damion Smith; 2 April 1966 – 9 December 1994) was a Jamaican reggae musician and Rastafarian, known for his diverse, emotive, powerful and smooth voice. During the early 1990s he was hailed as a rising talent, howeve ...

– Performer *2 Friends Crew –

(background) *Carlton Batts – Mastering *Dalton Browne –

Guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...

*Glen Browne –

(Acoustic) *Junior Chin –

Trumpet The trumpet is a brass instrument commonly used in classical and jazz ensembles. The trumpet group ranges from the piccolo trumpet—with the highest register in the brass family—to the bass trumpet, pitched one octave below the standard ...

*Clevie –

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

, Producer *Lisa Cortes – Executive Producer, Editing *Bobby Digital – Producer,

Engineer Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who invent, design, analyze, build and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while considering the l ...

Sly Dunbar Lowell Fillmore "Sly" Dunbar (born 10 May 1952, Kingston, Jamaica) is a drummer, best known as one half of the prolific Jamaican rhythm section and reggae production duo Sly and Robbie. Biography Dunbar began playing at 15 in a band called ...

–

Dean Fraser Dean Ivanhoe Fraser (sometimes appearing as Dean Frazer) (born 4 August 1957) Allmusic.com biography by Sandra Brennan/ref> is a Jamaican saxophonist who has contributed to hundreds of reggae recordings since the mid-1970s. He was awarded the Mu ...

–

Saxophone The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of brass. As with all single-reed instruments, sound is produced when a reed on a mouthpiece vibrates to pr ...

* Donovan Germain – Producer, Executive Producer *Sylvester Gordon – Producer,

, Mixing Engineer *

Marcia Griffiths Marcia Llyneth Griffiths (born 23 November 1949) is a Jamaican singer. One reviewer described her by noting "she is known primarily for her strong, smooth-as-mousse love songs and captivating live performances". Biography Born in West Kingst ...

–

(background) *Leroy Mafia –

Keyboards Keyboard may refer to: Text input * Keyboard, part of a typewriter * Computer keyboard ** Keyboard layout, the software control of computer keyboards and their mapping ** Keyboard technology, computer keyboard hardware and firmware Music * Musi ...

*Gary Jackson – Assistant

*Robert Lyn –

*Steely – Bass,

, Producer, Mixing

*Gary Sutherland –

*Andrew Thomas –

, Assistant Engineer *Handel Tucker –

*Andre "Dreddy Ranks" Tyrell –

, Producer,

*Lloyd "Gitsy" Willis –

*Junior "Left Toe" Don – Bass *Mikey Williamson –

Prince Charles Alexander Charles Alexander (born April 2, 1958), known professionally as Prince Charles Alexander, is an American record producer and audio engineer. He received a Grammy for Best Contemporary Soul Gospel Album in 2003. Background Alexander was born in B ...

– Remix *Tony Kelly – Mixing

*Drew Lavyne – Editing *Geoffroy de Boismenu – Photography *Clive Allen – Cover Photo *Dave Fluxy –

Charts

Weekly charts

Certifications

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Til Shiloh Buju Banton albums 1995 albums Island Records albums Albums produced by Donovan Germain Albums produced by Bobby Digital (Jamaican producer) Albums produced by Dave Kelly (producer) Albums produced by Steely & Clevie