SOJA’s first album was recorded independently with renowned sound engineer Jim Fox. Jacob notes, “Jim told us that he would work with us and so we could afford to make our first record, and when we ran out of money he started making up ‘discounts.’ It was awesome. I asked him why a while back, and he said ‘I didn’t want to see a good thing stop.’ What was even crazier was at the time he wasn’t working with bands that were from the US, just Jamaican artists. Big ones like Black Uhuru, Israel Vibration, Burning Spear, Don Carlos, and Inner Circle. Jim worked with us independently and recorded, mixed, and mastered the whole thing. That is how it all started.” SOJA’s first album, “Soldiers of Jah Army EP” was released at the beginning of 2000.
In 2002, SOJA released their first full-length album, “Peace in a Time of War.” Though the band was young, the album had hits. “True Love,” “Rasta Courage,” and “Peace in a Time of War” were the first songs to bring the band strong attention nationally and internationally and cement them in the reggae world. Tours became larger, their fan base expanded rapidly and they grew up smart in the independent music industry. In 2006, the band released “Get Wiser,” their second full-length album. The album was a break through for the band, as they explored the duality in their music, combining beautiful, longing melodies with hard drum and bass, and layered with intricate lyrics. SOJA created their musical style with a new complexity and depth that they would carry with them to their future albums. Jacob shares, “When you listen to an artist you can either have a series of one liners, or you can tell a story with your music. We set out to tell a story, it’s like poetry – dancing around an entire theme, but never putting a period on anything. It is like the two sides of a coin, but you can see them at the same time.” “Get Wiser” debuted in the Top 10 Reggae Albums on iTunes and has remained in the top 100 since its release. Singles off the album including “Open My Eyes, “You Don’t Know Me,” and “Can’t Tell Me” remain in heavy rotation on college radio across the United States, and have also received major radio play internationally in places such as France, Brazil, Argentina, Puerto Rico, St. Maarten, Costa Rica, Mexico, Venezuela, Guam, and Tahiti. The success of “Get Wiser” took the band on three years of intense touring nationally, and internationally. In 2008 SOJA released their EP “Stars and Stripes.” They blended new sounds and new rhythms with their existing reggae sound, growing into what SOJA was becoming. The EP contained three new songs plus remixes and new versions of popular songs. In early 2009 the band released the documentary DVD “SOJA Live in Hawaii: A Marc Carlini Film,” showcasing the power and energy of their 2008 Hawaiian tour which included four islands, five cameras, four shows, and everything in between.
Now, SOJA is ready to unleash their third full-length album “Born in Babylon” - the culmination of all past efforts on their label DMV Records. Set to be released August 25, 2009 exclusively on iTunes, “Born in Babylon” focuses on telling the same roots story that reggae artists have been singing about for decades, but their way, from the flip perspective of kids who grew up not in poverty, but in a government saturated community in Arlington, Virginia, across Mason-Dixon Line from the White House. SOJA shares about their new album, “This is the album we’ve been wanting to make for ten years. At first we were hard-core old school, then we got new school and inventive. This is what we’ve learned from all that. ‘Born in Babylon’ is hard roots drum and bass, big wide guitar and vocal melodies, and two and three sided lyrics, with two and three sided messages.”
For the rest of 2009 and moving into 2010 – SOJA plans on touring the United States extensively while promoting “Born in Babylon” with mainstay horn players Hellman Escorcia (saxophone) and Rafael Rodriguez (trumpet). Currently, SOJA averages 150 shows a year and the group has toured every major city in the US and internationally throughout Canada, Puerto Rico (avg 2500), Brazil (avg 4000), Argentina, Uruguay, New Caledonia (16,000 in attendance) Palau, Saipan, Guam (avg 3500), Hawaii (avg 2,000 on each island), Sweden, Switzerland, France, Portugal (avg 2000) and Holland. The band has also shared the stage with notable artists such as Citizen Cope, Matisyahu, Ben Harper, Slightly Stoopid, Damian Marley, Govt Mule, Umphrees McGee, and Steel Pulse to name a few.
In addition to their new music and touring, the band remains committed to creating real music, music that cant be ignored. Jacob pauses, “Bob Marley’s fans all feel like when he is singing a song, it’s to them. You could be from anywhere, any situation, rich, poor – it doesn’t matter; the song is directed at them. He speaks to you, the love songs too. That is what we are after. Not one side of the story, the whole thing, both sides of the coin. Just listen to ‘Born in Babylon.’”
disambiguation:
If you're looking for a US act:
http://www.last.fm/music/Soldiers+of+Jah+Army
Over the years, the Washington, D.C. music scene has become best known for its hardcore (Minor Threat) and go-go (Trouble Funk) alumni, but as evidenced by the great Bad Brains, reggae has been represented as well. SOJA has risen to the forefront, picking up right where the Brains left off – creating their own blend of conscious roots music entwined with the traditional rhythms of reggae, it “comes across with passion and depth.” (Washington Post ’06)
That said, SOJA is not that easy to define. Although they are rooted in reggae, they are not limited to it; their fan-base reflects this with a very diverse population. The music includes and embraces all walks of life - it has no prejudice – it is for everyone. The band grew up listening to reggae, hip-hop, and rock. In their sound, reggae became the predominate influence because it is dedicated to a real message and promotes revolution.
The group, which includes a pair of lead singers who also pull double duty - Jacob Hemphill (guitar) and Bob Jefferson (bass) – as well as Patrick O’Shea on keyboard, percussionist Ken Brownell, and drummer Ryan Berty, originally came together in 1997. Since 2000, the quintet has issued three full length albums and one EP – their latest, ‘Get Wiser,’ is their third for the group’s own label, Innerloop.
Hemphill explains the meaning of the album’s title. “The new album is called ‘Get Wiser’ – that’s the idea. We as a society tend to have blinders on. We are trying to uplift peoples’ consciousness by breaking down what makes us blind. To do this, we got to bring back truth. People get wiser.”
“Every song is different of course.” Hemphill continues, “I found music to be a way to express myself - through my life I’ve never been able to express myself well in conversations, but I can do it through music. It’s like my way to talk.”
Ever the road warriors (SOJA averages 150 gigs per year), the group will be supporting their latest release with a healthy amount of live dates this year on the “Get Wiser Tour”. With such a list of accumulated live dates, a specific high point is hard to pin down, but Brownell remembers a particular performance. “One of the shows that remains in the front of my mind was playing in Guam for the first time for nearly 6,000 fans. That was an amazing experience.”
With SOJA calling their own shots, ‘Get Wiser’ proves that the band’s message and music will only continue to grow stronger with each successive release. In support of their latest album, “Get Wiser”, SOJA is embarking on a journey around the world.
The Band
Jacob Hemphill - Lead Vocals, Guitar
Bob Jefferson - Lead Vocals, Bass
Ken Brownell - Percussion
Ryan Berty - Drums
Patrick O’Shea- Keyboards
Wait
Soja Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I just shut up and walked away
You know I'm running from what's hard to do and
I'm letting you know that nothing's changed
I think I'll never change the road I'm on
All I'm changing up is the town that I'm in sometimes
I'm not into who I've become, and
That "sometime" is now
Wait, wait
Don't let it go like it's gone before and please stay... stay
Don't make me show up at your door
I'm feeling I'm drowning and loving every minute in it
Like I'm tripping every second that I'm in the minute
Baby, we're stupid we kill each other for love, love
running in circles, we can never get enough us
You hear me calling and you start to turn around
You see me running and you start to slow down
Baby, slow down, turn around
and wait for me to walk away again, now
In Soja's song Wait, the singer is expressing their regret and longing for a past love. They never properly said goodbye, instead choosing to silently walk away. They admit to running away from what is difficult and changing their physical location instead of changing themselves. However, they acknowledge that something needs to change, and that change is happening now.
The chorus repeatedly urges the listener to wait and not let the love they once shared slip away. The singer is drowning in their feelings for this person and is willing to endure the pain because they love it. They see the futility of their situation - they are constantly running in circles and hurting each other in the name of love. Despite it all, they still want this person and are asking them to turn around and wait for them to walk away again.
One interpretation of this song is that the singer is stuck in a cycle of toxic behavior with this person, unable to break free despite knowing it is not good for them. They keep reverting back to their old ways and are hoping that this person will wait for them to come back again. Alternatively, the song could be about a missed opportunity, with the singer wishing they had properly said goodbye and hoping for another chance with this person. Overall, the lyrics are raw and emotional, conveying a sense of longing and regret.
Line by Line Meaning
You know I never said goodbye to you
I left you without a proper farewell
I just shut up and walked away
I did not communicate my departure, I just left
You know I'm running from what's hard to do and
I'm avoiding something difficult
I'm letting you know that nothing's changed
Although I left, my feelings have not changed
I think I'll never change the road I'm on
I don't think I will alter my current path
All I'm changing up is the town that I'm in sometimes
I am only varying my location at times
I'm not into who I've become, and
I am not fond of the person I have developed into
That "sometime" is now
The time to make a change is now
Wait, wait
Please hold on
Don't let it go like it's gone before and please stay... stay
Don't let our relationship end like it did in the past, please stay with me
Don't make me show up at your door
Please don't force me to come to you uninvited
I'm feeling I'm drowning and loving every minute in it
I feel like I'm overwhelmed, but I'm enjoying it to some degree
Like I'm tripping every second that I'm in the minute
I feel like I'm living in a daze
Baby, we're stupid we kill each other for love, love
We tend to harm each other for the sake of love
running in circles, we can never get enough us
We keep going in circles, never quite satisfied with our relationship
You hear me calling and you start to turn around
You hear me reaching out to you and begin to respond
You see me running and you start to slow down
You observe me making an effort, so you begin to make one as well
Baby, slow down, turn around
Please take a moment and look back at our relationship
and wait for me to walk away again, now
have patience with me, as I may leave once more
Contributed by William S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@mikecoyne1780
This is beautiful! The love … you can really feel it in his music!
@brucemujica
My love my honesty and my loyalty wasn't enough for any woman in this world
@kylewilliams4416
Soja still here to get me through my day. Life changing music. Seen em live once. Most amazing experience. THE BEST. Waiting for rescheduled reggae rise up fl. Every single track... A banger. Never found a soja song i didn't like. Easy to relate to every single song, and every song has a message to share. I find new meaning everytime I play one back. Helped me through the worst and best of times. Sending A lot of love out from Key West FL. 2021
@darinkubin2596
I love u guys
@Falasca94
Best on album
@NanaLewis-yw9vo
❤love it
@jamesdunphy7011
definitely a great album !
@michaelgoss4166
Awesome album
@RGE_Music
Said it once, said it twice. The best
@josephseman4548
Yup