African Holocaust (album) explained

African Holocaust is the eleventh reggae studio album released by Steel Pulse in July 2004. African Holocaust was Grammy nominated in the category of Best Reggae Album. The album also peaked at #9 on the Billboard Top Reggae Album charts.^[1]

Background

The album features an ample guest list headlined by fellow reggae acts Damian "Junior Gong" Marley and Capleton. In this album Steel Pulse, with David Hinds’ signature voice leading the way, ventures further away from the dancehall persuasions apparent in their late-1980s and early-'90s work.

The song "Born Fe Rebel" appears on the soundtrack of the 2004 video game Tony Hawk's Underground 2.^[2] The band released a music video in 2007 for the song "Door Of No Return" which was shot between Senegal and New York City. The video was produced by Driftwood Pictures Ltd.

Critical Reception

Jason Birchmeier of Allmusic proclaimed African Holocaust is "very well done contemporary reggae". Simon Coates of the BBC also praised the album. He exclaimed "Slightly over-polished in parts, African Holocaust is nonetheless the sound of a band pulling out all the stops to regain their position as the UK's number one roots collective."^[3] As well Brent Hagerman of Exclaim! declared "African Holocaust delivers gritty lyrics, heady roots reggae, and contemporary nuances to create an album long-time fans will rejoice in and others should discover."^[4]

Accolades

African Holocaust was Grammy nominated in the category of Best Reggae Album.^[5]

Track listing

All songs written by David Hinds, except "George Jackson" (Bob Dylan)

1. "Global Warning" – 4:52
2. "Blazing Fire" (feat. Capleton) – 3:36
3. "There Must Be a Way" – 4:14
4. "Make Us a Nation" – 4:16
5. "Dem a Wolf" – 3:36
6. "No More Weapons" (feat. Damian "Junior Gong" Marley) – 4:36
7. "Tyrant" – 4:51
8. "Door of No Return" – 4:49
9. "Born fe Rebel" – 4:41
10. "Darker Than Blue" – 4:34
11. "George Jackson" – 3:56
12. "African Holocaust" (feat. Tiken Jah Fakoly) – 4:24
13. "Uncle George" – 4:12

Notes and References

1. Billboard Top Reggae Albums. 62. 31. 116. 31 July 2004. Billboard Magazine.
2. Web site: 10 Best Songs In The Tony Hawk's Games. What Culture. whatculture.com. 4 January 2021 .
3. Web site: Steel Pulse African Holocaust Review. Coates, Simon. BBC. bbc.co.uk.
4. Web site: Steel Pulse African Holocaust. Hagerman, Brent. Exclaim!. exclaim.ca.
5. Web site: Steel Pulse. Grammy. grammy.com.