Search - Sizzla :: Da Real Live Thing

Surprisingly Necessary

Achis | Kingston, JA/Philipsburg, SxM | 08/31/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Just three years down the line from it's original release and one of the most profound reggae albums of the last 20 years is re-released. It's cleaned up, its giving a new more attractive packaging and a DVD is thrown in to boot.



Da Real Thing, originally, served to drop a massive bomb on critics who were accusing Sizzla Kalonji of having forgotten his more spiritual and melodic roots and replaced them with the hyperactive, rough and often slack edges which he had been displaying in recent years. DRT brought back the Sizzla that was birthed on such pieces as Black Woman & Child, Praise Ye Jah and Royal Son of Ethiopia and set it to the critics that the Sizzla they thought was lost was alive and well.



Musically, the re-release offers the same 15 tracks as the original, however, the addition of 3 live tunes, including a very very wicked tune called Be Still and an acoustic version of Just One of Those Days. You probably know all of these tunes however, and probably dont need me telling you that the best tune is Thank U Mamma and that songs like Simplicity, Solid As a Rock and Just One of Those Days are amongst the artist's best.



The attraction here for the collectors, who will eat this one up, is a loaded dvd, complete with 2 different interviews with the artist (one of which, for the BBC, is so massive that its cut in 99 sections), video releases of both Thank U Mamma and Stage Show, the first single from Sizzla's most recent VP release Stay Focus. The real highlight of the DVD, however, is of course the monstrous performance from VP's Miami show in which the artist appears in fine form, blowing through such hits as Taking Over, Humble Thought,Karate, Holding Firm and finishing appropriately with Thank U Mamma. Shown in great film and with fantastic audio watching the show, particularly the audiences responses is exciting.



Overall, I dont see the average Kalonji fan dropping everything to run out and buy an album they certainly already bought for just a few enhancements, but this one is for the collectors! Now, were you one of the few that didnt purchase the original (and good luck finding with this one on the shelves now) then atone for your misdoings, DRT is massive and one of the artist's best, and the upgrade is a surprisingly welcomed touch.



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