IJAHMAN LEVI - HAILE I HYMN (CHAPTER 1)

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Ijahman Haile I Hymn (Chapter 1)

1. Jah Heavy Load
2. Jah Is No Secret
3. Zion Hut
4. I'm a Levi

In the context of bloated reggae CDs, where 10 tracks are unacceptable, 15 the norm, and 20 the maximum, Ijahman Levi's four-track, 35-minute HAILE I HYMN (CHAPTER 1) seems a total rip-off. It's not. Instead, the 1978 album represents the golden roots era of Marley and the Wailers, and Chris Blackwell's crossover-oriented Island Records.


HAILE I HYMN stands as Ijahman Levi's masterpiece. His plaintive vocals convey Babylon weariness and uplift simultaneously, while the inspired lyrics reaffirm simple faith and Rasta beliefs. The rhythms are late-'70s reggae rock, the riddim-makers men like Sly, Robbie, and Earl "Chinna" Smith, as well as rocker Steve Winwood and Afro-popster Del Richardson. "Jah Heavy Load" is a reggae classic, its soaring melody and sweeping lyrics flowing like a brook into the lovely "Jah is No Secret," which borrows from Psalm 137 ("By the rivers of Babylon..."). With its foundation of Nyahbinghi drumming, "Zion Hut" approaches a more modern reggae sound, albeit poppier and less sparse. Ijahman's dramatically audible and emotional intakes of breath occasionally get the best of him, but HAILE I HYMN is a classic, and a beautiful musical testament to belief and hope.


The debut of I Jahman Levi was a monumental event in reggae music. Here are 4 extended meditations of melodies pure and strong that are some of the most moving and divinely inspired ever. Levi's voice is calming and soothing, powerfully emotional at just the right places for emphasis of a thought.