Friends for Life
Studio album by
Buju Banton
ReleasedMarch 11, 2003 (2003-03-11)
Studio
Various
  • The Room for Black Shadow Records
  • Area 39 Recording Studio
  • Askum Recording Studio
  • Penthouse Recording Studio
  • King Jammy's Recording Studio
Genre
Length75:23
LabelVP Music Group
Producer
Buju Banton chronology
Unchained Spirit
(2000)		 Friends for Life
(2003)		 Too Bad
(2006)
Singles from Friends for Life
  1. "Paid Not Played"
    Released: 2003

Friends for Life is the seventh studio album by Jamaican recording artist Buju Banton. It was released on March 11, 2003 through VP Music Group with exclusive distribution via Atlantic Records. Production was primarily handled by Donovan Germain and Buju Banton, along with Cool & Dre, Jammy "Jamz" James, Sheldon Stewart, Sly Dunbar, Steely & Clevie, Steven "Lenky" Marsden. It features guest appearances from Beres Hammond, Bounty Killer, Fat Joe, Nadine Sutherland, Sons & Daughters Choir and Wayne Wonder. The album peaked at number 198 on the US Billboard 200 album chart, and was nominated for Grammy Award for Best Reggae Album at the 46th Annual Grammy Awards,[2] but lost to Sean Paul's Dutty Rock. The album was supported with charted single "Paid Not Played", which peaked at number 84 on the Official Singles Chart Top 100 in the UK.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
The Guardian[3]
The New Rolling Stone Album Guide[4]

Rick Anderson of AllMusic said that "This is not his best album by a long shot, but it does demonstrate his clear superiority to most of the dancehall pack".[1] Dave Simpson, reviewer of The Guardian, saw the album as the biggest escalation of his positive side of music, saying: "Since 1995's well-regarded 'Til Shiloh, he has become known as Mr Positivity, and this album is the upper and worst example of that trite and withdrawn imagery", ending the review saying: "after a strong and rousing beginnings, Friends for Life gets lost in slush".[3]

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Paid Not Played"
 4:01
2."Tra La La"
Steven "Lenky" Marsden3:24
3."Teaser" (featuring Bounty Killer)
Steely & Clevie3:48
4."Excerpt of a Speech by Marcus Mosiah Garvey"  0:56
5."Up Ye Mighty Race"MyrieBuju Banton4:02
6."All Will Be Fine" (featuring Sons and Daughters Choir)
Donovan Germain5:33
7."Maybe We Are"
  • Myrie
  • Burt
  • Lyn
  • Chung
Donovan Germain6:20
8."Mama Africa"Peter ToshDonovan Germain4:47
9."Hooked on the Love"
  • Myrie
  • Browne
  • Johnson
Donovan Germain3:58
10."Get It On" (featuring Wayne Wonder)
Banton3:30
11."Friend for Life"
Banton3:51
12."Good Times" (featuring Beres Hammond and Fat Joe)
Donovan Germain4:24
13."Damn"
  • Myrie
  • Andre Lyon
  • Marcello Valenzano
Cool & Dre4:20
14."La Da De Da"
  • Myrie
  • Marsden
Banton3:22
15."Feeling Groovy"
Donovan Germain3:14
16."Pensive Mood"MyrieBanton4:25
17."Spectacular"MyrieJammy "Jamz" James3:49
18."What Am I Gonna Do" (featuring Nadine Sutherland)
4:03
19."Mr. Nine"
Sheldon Stewart3:36
Total length:1:15:23

Charts

Chart (2003) Peak
position
US Billboard 200[5] 198
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[6] 44
US Reggae Albums (Billboard)[7] 3
US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard)[8] 14

References

  1. 1 2 3 Anderson, Rick. "Friends for Life - Buju Banton | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved September 15, 2020.
  2. ↑ "GRAMMY Award Results for Buju Banton". GRAMMY.com. September 13, 2020.
  3. 1 2 Simpson, Dave (March 7, 2003). "CD: Buju Banton, Friends for Life". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved September 15, 2020.
  4. ↑ Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian David (2004). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide. New York: Simon & Schuster. p. 44. ISBN 978-0-7432-0169-8.
  5. ↑ "Buju Banton Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved September 15, 2020.
  6. ↑ "Buju Banton Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved September 15, 2020.
  7. ↑ "Buju Banton Chart History (Reggae Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved September 15, 2020.
  8. ↑ "Buju Banton Chart History (Heatseekers Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved September 15, 2020.
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