For more than two decades, SOJA have elated audiences across the globe with their fresh yet timeless take on roots reggae, a sound born from their shared passion for making music that transports and inspires. On their Grammy Award Winning album, Beauty in the Silence — the band deepens that communal spirit by collaborating with artists from all corners of the reggae world, including the likes of UB40, Slightly Stoopid, Stick Figure, and Rebelution. Fueled by the sheer force of their connection and chemistry, Beauty in the Silence ultimately makes for a much-needed antidote to fractured times, infusing so much warmth and wisdom and unstoppable joy into each and every track.

Like 2014's acclaimed Amid the Noise and Haste (a Grammy nominee for Best Reggae Album), the title to Beauty in the Silence references the opening lines of Max Ehrmann's beloved poem "Desiderata": "Go placidly amid the noise and haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence." "My dad had that poem memorized, and before I'd go out on tour he'd sort of whisper it in my ear," says SOJA frontman Jacob Hemphill. "To me it's a reminder of what we lose when we get caught up in the distractions all around us. You get so used to life being loud and fast and goal-oriented, but then you go out in nature and hear the silence and realize, 'Damn, I got tricked.' Life doesn't have to be all go, go, go. The real key to life is in being still."

Elsewhere on Beauty in the Silence, SOJA join forces with everyone from up-and-comers like Filipino-American reggae singer Eli Mac ("A true original, and one of the most creative people I know," according to Hemphill) to longtime friends and tourmates like the Hawaiian band Common Kings ("They're a huge inspiration when you're on the road — every single night, they hit the stage like a fireball"). And while each artist brings their own distinct sensibilities to the mix, all of the guest musicians are deeply aligned with SOJA's mission of uplifting the masses.

"My hero's always been Bob Marley, and that's mainly because he had this way of letting people find their purpose in the music," says Hemphill. "It didn't matter if you were white or black or a girl or a boy or rich or poor, you felt like he was talking directly to you. So that's what we were trying to do with this record: make it as real as possible and tell the whole story of our experience, not just the shiny parts. That's how you create something that really connects, and that hopefully leaves this place at least a little better after you're gone."