Psalms for I

Prince Far I was a unique figure in the roots reggae landscape, a “deejay” (what we’d call a rapper in the US) who characterized his approach as “chanting” rather than “toasting” or “chatting” — a term that reflected his deep concern for religious and cultural lyrics and his tendency to declaim in a relatively non-rhythmic style. Psalms for I represents the distilled essence of his approach: the album consists largely of Biblical verses from the Book of Psalms, delivered in his trademark deep, stentorian style over heavyweight rockers rhythms. Among the entries in his tragically short discography — he was murdered in 1983 — I would say that this one is tied with Voice of Thunder for first place.