Search - Ras Shiloh :: Babylon You Doom

Until his untimely death late in 1994, singer Garnet Silk was reggae's prophet-elect. That tragic loss dealt a blow to the music, and the following year saw a bumper crop of singers attempting to reproduce the thrill of Silk's vibrating tenor. Ironically, the best of the Silk School of Reggae Singers is a youthful Brooklyn homeboy who goes by the title of Ras Shiloh. Nonetheless, Shiloh speaks and sings in a sonic-perfect Jamaican accent any Hollywood actor would envy, and his lyrics go to the core of cultural reggae concerns. Shiloh's not "Jafaiking"; he's simply correcting an error of destiny by positioning himself within the culture that's his real birthright. This quality set, including his hit singles "Slavery" and "Are You Satisfied," suggests Shiloh deserves extra credit as well for applying his obvious vocal gifts to reggae, when his cutie-pie looks and voluptuous sound make him a shoo-in for R&B fame. --Elena Oumano