SOJA

SOJA are an eight-piece reggae group hailing from Arlington, Virginia. Formed in 1997 by high-school friends and musicians who regularly gigged around the area, the Soldiers made their recorded debut in 2000 with the SOJA EP. Their debut album, Peace in a Time of War, followed in 2002 while its dub version, Dub in a Time of War, appeared in 2004. Get Wiser arrived in 2006 and was premiered back home with the album being played live in total, a concert that was captured on that year's DVD release Get Wiser Live. Their 2009 release, Born in Babylon, featured a guest appearance from German reggae singer Gentleman along with members of Rebelution. Live in Hawaii arrived that same year, and they signed with the ATO label for the 2012 effort Strength to Survive, which topped Billboard's Reggae Albums chart. Two years later, ATO issued Amid the Noise and Haste, an album with Damian Marley, Michael Franti, and Collie Buddz as guests. A concert LP, Live in Virginia, was released the following year, with the group's sixth studio long-player, Poetry in Motion, arriving in 2017. ~ David Jeffries