Soldiers of Jah Army

SOJA “Get Wiser Live” Innerloop
Friday, November 16, 2007; Page WE07

WHEN SOJA RECORDED the “Get Wiser Live” DVD, a bonus-added concert version of its “Get Wiser” album, at the State Theatre in Falls Church nearly two years ago, the Virginia-based reggae roots band packed the house and stacked the deck. With an expanded lineup that featured guest appearances by conga player Milton “Go Go Mickey” Freeman of Rare Essence, the Eddie Drennon String Quartet and members of the Puerto Rican reggae band Gomba Jahbari, SOJA gave the capacity crowd what it came to hear, and then some. Read More »

Already established as a reggae power on the East Coast, Soldiers of Jah Army (SOJA) don’t necessarily need a landmark recording to cement their place in the genre. But the Virginia-based quintet hammers the point home on Get Wiser, the band’s third and most complete release to date. It is a brilliant, convincing collection of US reggae at its best.

Preaching awareness and begging for social consciousness in times of international turmoil, SOJA makes a strong political statement, challenging its audience to embrace clarity and wisdom in light of spoon-fed agendas and diversionary propaganda. Read More »

“American roots reggae has rarely approached the heights of classic efforts from Jamaica, but count Washington, DC’s Soldiers of Jah Army–a bunch of white guys, incidentally, not that you would guess–among the exalted few who have captured the soulful swagger, pulsing rhythms and get-serious message of the genre’s very best. Start with the package: the cover art realigns Africa to the left of the map and the liner notes reprint every word of the poetic lyrics. The music, all 72+ minutes of it, proceeds through fourteen “chapters” of immaculately produced, simmering songs, each with its own catchy riff and hook. Read More »

SOJA- “Get Wiser”
Innerloop Records

Conscious. Melodious. Soulful. As with the profound spiritual, and elevating musical experience of Bob Marley, “the mellow mood has got me.” On “Get Wiser,” the DC-based Soldiers of Jah Army (SOJA) effortlessly induces a state of relaxation and cultural immersion. The roots quintet, functioning much like the five fingers of an outstretched hand, branches out, taping into influences from Latin to rock, and as a whole delivers a potent fistful of original, stimulating roots reggae. Read More »

SOJA- “Get Wiser”
Innerloop Records

The second full-length album from the VA-based roots outfit Soldiers of Jah Army (SOJA), Get Wiser, absolutely reserves their place in the annals of roots Reggae history. Building on the success of their first cd Peace in a Time of War, SOJAs have done a great deal of touring in the past year or so, including extended stints to South America. Their diverse sound bears the sings of these myriad influences, including elements of rock-n-roll, hip-hop, Latin rhythms, and of course, pure Roots Rock Reggae. Likewise, their ever-widening fan base covers the spectrum, far beyond simply hardcore Reggae enthusiasts. Read More »

Thanks to Idiel Otero of ION music and his PR representative Randy, SOJA appeared in various newspapers around the island including El Nuevo Dia, El Vocero, and Primera Hora. The articles have interviews of the band, photos, and general promotion about the shows during their stay in Puerto Rico. (en español) Read More »

Get Wiser (SOJA, 2005)

With the release of Get Wiser, it’s safe to include Soldiers of Jah Army among the very best American reggae bands today. Not that their previous work didn’t warrant this distinction, but it’s just hard to judge an act on a body of work that includes only one EP and one LP. Now that they have “more body,” though, you’ve got to rank them up there with Groundation and John Brown’s Body as far as US groups go. Comparing Get Wiser to Peace in a Time of War, there’s a sense of evolution. The melodies are a bit more distinct, the structure a bit more rock-like, and the music a bit fuller and more diverse, incorporating elements of rock, pop, dancehall, and even go-go. Read More »

SOJA, Keeping the Faith at State Theatre
Monday, January 9, 2006; Page C03

When a band is called Soldiers of Jah Army, you might expect the musicians to be militant, straight-outta-Kingston Rastafarians, their massive dreads flowing past their waists, gigantic chalices burning bushels of weed.

On Friday at the State Theatre, dreadlocks topped the domes of at least three of the five SOJAs, but that’s as close to looking the part of a traditional roots-reggae band as the group came: These D.C.-area musicians are white dudes, who not only play reggae music extremely well Read More »

The Beat Magazine

By Tom Orr
Febuary 2005 issue of The Beat Magazine.

“Given the depth of Soldiers of Jah Army’s “Peace In a Time of War”, they come across as a band with decades of reggae wisdom behind them. True, they have been under reggae’s spell since pre-high school days, but theese young lions have been a working musical outfit for only a few years. Peace In a Time of War is equal parts blazing fire and healing water, full of locked in riddims and quietly powerful vocals. Read More »

Por Falú, de Freedom Sounds
Soldiers of Jah Army – Peace In a Time of War

En Estados Unidos de América se hacen muchos estilos de música, pero nunca pensé que hicieran reggae rústico tan y tan bueno. Este es el tercer disco de esta banda, el mismo, grabado en los estudios Lion & Fox, donde grandes artistas del reggae mundial han grabado. Esta banda de, 5 miembros de Arlington, Virginia, tiene un sonido demasiado bueno y perfecto para los gustos caribeños. “Rasta Courage”, “Peace In A Time of War”, “Jah Atmosphere” y “Did You Ever” capturan muy bien el estilo de la banda, el cual se caracteriza por elementos acústicos con guitarra y pesada percusión Nyabinghi, mezclado todo con puro reggae rústico. Estadounidenses al fin, las letras son basadas en esperanza, unificación y revolución; teniendo en mente los hechos ocurridos el 11 de septiembre y la actual situación política en la cual se encuentra la Nación. Este disco es altamente recomendado y para conseguirlo pueden hacerlo a través de: www.sojamusic.com.