Unusually, Sizzla had not released an album since "Crucial Times" on Greensleeves, which came out in January 2010. That is now remedied with "The Scriptures", released in June on John John, King Jammy's son's label. In an interview before its release, John John confided that they had taken their time over this new record because they were aiming for "perfection". And it must be said that the result is rather successful.
Apart from the very good Music in my soul, already released in 2010 on the Zion Gate riddim series, "The Scriptures" contains only unreleased tracks, 12 in all. Over well-polished reggae instrumentals, Sizzla develops recurring themes of Rasta ideology (Jah is my shield, Cleanse my soul) and takes us back to the best days of his career. Here there is no bawling dancehall and no dubious hip-hop crossover. And even if the album's only guest is the Canadian rapper Peter Jackson, it is for a most reggae song indeed (The world is watching), and the result is far more convincing than their previous collaboration (Miss Right).
The first song, World cry, is reminiscent of the "Da Real Thing" era in its sounds, as is the pleasant God bless you mama. And the light In Jamaica and the deep Scriptures prove that Kalonji has lost nothing of his flow or his voice. The very ska Happy birthday is one more demonstration. Keeping to the habit set on their previous joint effort ("Ghetto Youth-Ology"), John John does not forget to revisit some classic riddims, such as Woman is like a shadow (Let it be). What a whoa, one of the best tracks on the album, dusts off papa Jammy's Jah fire will be burning.
The only oddity of this new record, the very "rock" Jump for joy may surprise, but after several listens, one has to admit that it all works rather well and is not really unpleasant. Even the slightly soft ballad of the bunch, I love you, does its job and finishes establishing "The Scriptures" as a complete, mature album. Without reaching the irreproachable quality of "Da Real Thing", "The Scriptures" stands worthily in its line and stands clearly apart from Sizzla's previous releases, often too uneven. And it confirms beyond doubt that Sizzla is and remains the most prolific and creative artist of his generation.
