Last year as he pondered the direction of his fifth album, singer Teejax Malek I wanted to salute reggae’s most famous artists — Bob Marley, Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer. He did just that, covering three of their anthems that helped put reggae on the map.
He put his spin on Marley’s Redemption Song; Get Up, Stand Up, which is co-written by Marley and Tosh; and Cool Runnings, originally done by Wailer.
“All three have updated and infectious beats. This new sound and vocal delivery will capture the minds and imagination of all who dare to listen,” Malek I said. “I have taken nothing away from any of these songs but only add justice and more appeal where well-deserved. I know and believe within I self that Bob, Peter and Bunny will be pleased,” he added.
State of Emergency is the name of the upcoming album, which is the follow-up to the eclectic Island Rock, which Teejax Malek I released in 2018 on his Island Rock Music label. That set heard him experimenting with reggae, gospel and Rhythm and Blues.
The new album will be released during the summer and contains fourteen songs, most of them originals written by Teejax Malek I who was born in Manchester, a rural parish in central Jamaica.
Migrating to the United States in the mid-1970’s, he cut his teeth on the Chicago reggae scene, performing in some of those city’s top venues including the Wild Hare.
It was during the roots-reggae era of the 1970’s when Marley, Tosh and Wailer flourished, that Teejax Malek I discovered their music and Rastafarian beliefs. Paying tribute to them is something he looked forward to.
His upcoming album will also be released by Island Rock Music.
You must log in to post a comment.