The enigmatic Sizzla is already a reggae icon with nearly twenty other albums to his name. All date from the past ten years; an era in which his distinctive sing-jay lyrics have dominated the dancehalls and caused more than their share of controversy as he’s begun to juggle more worldly lyrics with his fiery brand of roots, reality and culture material. But whilst his unpredictability is now legendary, the depth and brilliance of his talent has never been in doubt, and nor his razor sharp
instincts for a hit tune.

The story of Sizzla, real name Miguel Collins, is now too well-known to repeat here, but rest assured he didn’t have it easy when first starting out from August Town, near Kingston, and before recording breakthrough albums for Exterminator (Praise Ye Jah) and Bobby Digital (Black Woman & Child). International recognition didn’t come overnight but then Sizzla’s never stood still for an instant, and continues to delight in voicing over a diverse range of backdrops, as if testing his
abilities at every turn. Listeners will find him exploring a wealth of different styles here, from nyahbinghi to hardcore dancehall and all points in-between. For this reason, Red Alert is probably the most representative album of his more re-cent career, since it showcases him as freedom fighter, ardent Rastafarian, ghetto lover and several other roles besides. His versatility is staggering, but then so too is the intensity of his lyrics. Sizzla remember, is an artist who puts everything on the line when he’s recording, as witnessed by the passion and commitment heard on each of these tracks.

Four of them were produced by Leroy “Sugar Roy” Moore, who originally re-leased them on his Fire Ball label in Jamaica. A deejay in his own right who specialises in dancehall friendly reworking of old school rhythms for the most part, Sugar Roy knows Sizzla from when both were struggling to mark their mark during the mid-nineties. Like Clive Kennedy’s Stay Clean (featuring Steely & Clevie), Blessing, Beautiful and Your Love Is all trace a path back to the past, whilst Love You features Sugar Roy’s Rachik rhythm, and is aimed straight at the dancehall massive.

The same applies to Alert, produced by Unicorn of Hindu Storm fame, and the ferocious Burn The Herb, either of which could send the temperature clean through the roof of any hardcore bashment session. Glenis Gooden had a hand in producing the latter, just like the funky, cutting-edge Bring Your Lovin’ and ex-plosive Boom Boom and Slew Them whirlwinds of angry protest that roar with hurricane force, and endorse Sizzla’s reputation as Jamaica’s most uncompromising dancehall star.

Contrast such lyrical fireworks with Long Way, which is roots music in its purest form and finds him chanting over nyahbinghi drums and flute. It’s a track every long-time Kalonji fan can salute, just like Life (which is again outstanding) or Better Tomorrow with its folksy melodies. Such variety makes Red Alert an essential Sizzla release, because if there’s a more challenging artist anywhere in the field of popular music, then we’ve yet to hear them.

01.Your Love Is
02. Life
03. Beautiful
04. Bring Your Lovin’
05. Slew Them
06. Love You
07. Burn The Herb
08.Stay Clean
09.Better Tomorrow
10. Alert
11. First Thing
12. Boom Boom
13. Long Way
14.Blessing
15.Shi Want Mi