Buju Banton doesn’t adapt. He

creates and reinvents. The Gargamel is serving up a melting pot of genres,

vocal styles, messages and features on his new album, Upside Down 2020, which was released today on Jay-Z’s Roc Nation

imprint and Island Records.

He held an online listening party

for some of the records hours ahead of the album’s premiere, and the

decade-long wait for a new project from Banton proved worthwhile.

The 20-track set starts with Lamb of God, the opening number he did

for the ‘Long Walk to Freedom’ concert held in Jamaica last March. The event

symbolised his first performance since being released from the McRae

Correctional Facility in the United States in 2018, where he served a 10-year

drug sentence.

The album then segues to Yes Mi Fren, a groovy guitar

“refix” of Bob Marley and The Wailers’ Duppy Conqueror, which was penned following Bunny Wailer’s 1968

release from prison after serving time for marijuana possession. Wailer has

always said he was falsely charged, which resonates with Banton’s story as he

declared his innocence in a cocaine deal that led to his arrest in 2009. The

celebratory single features longtime friend Stephen Marley, who supported

Banton throughout his trial and prison stint, and celebrates his freedom from

“their walls”.

Buried

Alive follows in the carefully arranged tracklist, an uptempo reggae

track which speaks about overcoming trials to persist in one’s purpose.

Dave Kelly joins the plethora of

producers on Upside Down 2020, and

adds his signature dancehall flavour to the album on Blessed. The song sees Banton delivering a fresh vocal style, as he

toasts about winning despite critics and ill-wishers.

The previously released Memories, featuring John Legend,

follows, and tells a dub-heavy tale of a love turned sour, and the haunting

memories which won’t seem to go away.

Pharell Williams is another collaborator, and appears on the genreless, waistline mover Cherry Pie. The Neptunes-produced track is a sure standout from the project and mystifies with its genreless style and pulsating drums and bassline.

Good

Time Girl is another anthem for the hunnies, and is “a little bit

different”, oozing a funky, swing kind of sonic, and will no doubt be

infectious on the dance floor.

Another ode is in store for

women, packaged in the dancehall joint, Appreciated.

The album culminates with Unity, which blends jazzy saxophones

and fervent drumming, all reminiscent of 1940s Afro-Cuban jazz. The fusion of

varied sounds complements the message of oneness.

Other singles include Call Me (featuring Stefflon Don), Rising Up, Cheated, Trust and 400 Years.

Banton’s last album, Before the Dawn, received the Grammy

for Best Reggae Album in 2010.