Soul Deep

Mr. Kalonji must have run out of creative juices for this one. Actually, some songs are different, but there are not many that are good. The best song (they only great one?) is Be Strong. Buy it by itself and leave the rest. If you want a KILLER Sizzla album, get Da Real Thing or Black Woman and Child.

I love Sizzla, but this album has only a few hot ones. Not a good album......Far from Sizzla quality.

Somewhere in Jamaica right now, Predator, Macka Diamond and Kid Kurrupt are all waiting to have their debut albums released by reggae giant label Greensleeves, Vybz Kartel is waiting to his official sophomore effort and no one (and I mean no one) knows what happened to Red Rat.One person who isn't at all disappointed with GS's release schedule is Sizzla Kalonji. He who just 8 months ago had perhaps his best album in a couple of years (which is saying alot when you go 4-5 deep a year), the self-produced Life, released by Greensleeves, is already back on the different and more serene sounding Soul Deep. Not only did it not take long for Greensleeves to release Soul Deep, despite the lack of 'warning' (it just sort of showed up one day) it took only slightly longer for Sizzla to find his way back into the studio with superproducer Vendetta, and he sounds very on point over Vendetta's different programs.The duo first hooked up on the surprisingly critically acclaimed Rise to the Occasion, the album was Sizzla's most experimental to date (and still is) and freely stepped in and out of the reggae boundaries. It took just about 22 months for them to hook back up, and I'm more impressed with Soul Deep than the. . . downright weird RtO.There's a lot of good material here, perhaps the best being Be Strong over the immortal Drop Leaf riddim. Also LOVE Where Are You Running To? Girl Come to See Me, the r&b drop of All I Want with Morgan Heritage (the family returning the guest which Sizzla gave to their recent effort Full Circle). The simpleness of Nothing Bothers Me and of course Why. Why is about as simple as Nothing Bothers Me, but its souped up and the cool agressiveness which Sizzla displays on the cut is just funny almost, but he kicks it into high gear in typical Kalonji style.Overall, I'm not really prepared to call Soul Deep a better album than Life (yet), but its better than Rise to the Occasion. As a pair, Sizzla & Vendetta may be on the verge of something special, at this rate we wont have to wait very long to find out.

This is an unbelievably good album. I like most of Sizzla's releases to varying degrees, but I've been especially interested in his experimental stuff the last few years - "Rise to the Occasion" and "Life" are both terrific. This one is maybe the slickest, most consistent release in this vein that Sizzla's had. It's overall a pretty mellow disc, actually, with a lot of gorgeous melodies and rhythms that ride the line between dancehall and modern R&B. And even though I don't like modern R&B that much, it really works here.Favorites include "Good Morning" (great opener), "Why," "Push & Shove," and "Where Are You Running To." Actually picking favorites is tough because all the tracks are good and as each one is playing, it sounds like a favorite to me. Unlike a lot of Sizzla's albums this doesn't start strong and end weak; it's good all the way through, and the last three songs are three of the best - also more aggressive than the first half of the album.I would say, though, that fans of Sizzla's more righteous, rootsier releases may not like this one. Not much "Jah Rastafari" or "King Selassie I" on this one, and only a couple of songs are even a bit rootsy (track 2 is beautiful and kinda rootsy, though).

Firstly Thanks and Praise to the Creator. Now just like Rise To the Occasion, most of this album is taken from an underground record, call Good Morning. Now, since I've heard most of these songs since last november, the best track to me is All I Want with Morgan Heritage. That song is Sizzla beyond his best. Good Morning, is the perfect lead off song, it captures a vibe that many can relate to, Where Are You Running To, is top notch lyrically. However, I must say, on the version of that song that I have, he sings the second verse again at the end in acapella, which is the best part of that song. Girls Come To See Me is an old tune from 2002, Mt. Zion is another one of my favorites, and again there is an acapella at the end that is cut on this album version. Love You More and Good To Know are great tracks that show Sizzla's range. My girl was mad at me, so I played Good To Know for her, she wasnt mad anymore, the song is that powerful. Show Me is a slowed down version of the song that was on the trifecta riddim from 2003, and ofcourse he had to have one of the biggest songs of the year on the album, which would be from the Drop leaf riddim. Why is my second favorite track, "Cause im the baddest motherf*cker, that you ever gwaan see", it doesnt get any harder than that. Love Me has the tightest beat on the album, and ofcourse Push and Shove is from last years tighty tighty riddim. Over all this album is classic Sizzla, lyrically on top of his game. Vendetta is on top of his game, Big up to greensleeves, for being the most consistent label. This looks like its gonna be another year with out a new sizzla Album on VP. Sizzla is one of the Greats, every album shows his skills getting better and better. I now have anywhere from 500 to 700 songs from him and i am never disappointed, and finally for all the haters and so called fans, I would like to say congrats to Sizzla Kalonji for signing a record deal with ROC-A-FELLA. Its about time mainstream media recognizes him. peace and blessings.

I am a big Sizzla fan, and I have been diggin both Black Woman & Child and Da Real Thing for years. My problem with Sizzla has always been that most of his albums have too many songs, and there is little album feeling at all. With Soul Deep it feels like Sizzla has made a real album, it flows good, the songs have the same feeling, and it is so positive! Songs like Show Me, Good Morning and Girl Come See Me are some of the best songs he has ever made. Please make more album like this!!!!

Great album, thanks.