''Too Bad'' is the eighth studio album by dancehall 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 on September 12, 2006.

Background and composition

Musically the album marks a comeback to straight hardcore

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 ...

music for Banton, that follows his departure to a more

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 ...

direction. Critics defined the musical choice as "provocative" and a "screw you world" move following the controversy around his 1992

homophobic Homophobia encompasses a range of negative attitudes and feelings toward homosexuality or people who are identified or perceived as being lesbian, gay or bisexual. It has been defined as contempt, prejudice, aversion, hatred or antipathy, m ...

track "Boom Bye Bye" rearing its head again. He's dealt with the controversy for years, but the 2005 cancellations of some

European European, or Europeans, or Europeneans, may refer to: In general * ''European'', an adjective referring to something of, from, or related to Europe ** Ethnic groups in Europe ** Demographics of Europe ** European cuisine, the cuisines of Europe ...

shows seem to have been the "

casus belli A (; ) is an act or an event that either provokes or is used to justify a war. A ''casus belli'' involves direct offenses or threats against the nation declaring the war, whereas a ' involves offenses or threats against its ally—usually one b ...

" for him, sparking in him the inspiration for ''Too Bad''. According to

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 ...

Banton on the album "skillfully skirts the crude sexism and gangsta-influenced posturing that are today's

ragga Raggamuffin music, usually abbreviated as ragga, is a subgenre of dancehall and reggae music. The instrumentals primarily consist of electronic music. Similar to hip hop, sampling often serves a prominent role in raggamuffin music. Wayne Sm ...

norm. But that's not to say he's got a bunch of crossover smashes here -- fact is, he doesn't even have one".

Critical reception

David Jeffires 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 ...

commented its musical direction saying that "So much dancehall will probably alienate the massive fanbase Banton earned with the versatile efforts ''

'Til Shiloh ''Til Shiloh'' is the fourth album by Jamaican dancehall artist Buju Banton, released in 1995 by Loose Cannon Records, a short-lived subsidiary of Island Records.Cooke, Mel (2015)Two Decades Since Til Shiloh, ''Jamaica Gleaner'', July 19, 2015. Re ...

'' or ''

Unchained Spirit ''Unchained Spirit'' is a studio album by the dancehall/reggae artist Buju Banton, released in 2000. It was his first and only album to be released on the ANTI- record label, an imprint of Epitaph Records. The album peaked at No. 128 on the ''B ...

'', but longtime fans who miss the fire of his early work are going to go ape for this one".

said that "Banton's never released such a headlong album".

Track listing

#"Your Night Tonight" #"Try Offa Yah" #"Nothing" #"Too Bad" #"Waistline" #"Jig" #"Me & Ounu" #"'Til It Bend" #"Hey Boy" #"Go Slow" #"Driver" #"Girl U Know" #"Lonely Night" #"Who Have It" #"Better Day Coming" #"Don & Dupes" (feat.

Pinchers Delroy Thompson (born 12 April 1965), better known by his stage name Pinchers, is a Jamaican reggae and dancehall artist. He released one album as a teenager in Jamaica for Blue Trac Records, before moving to the UK in 1985. In his career si ...

Background and composition

Critical reception

Track listing

Charts

References

External links