CALIFORNIA-BASED ROOTS REGGAE SINGER IONE ANGELES, RELEASES HER FIRST ALBUM “INNA WORD!”

When singer Ione Angeles first heard reggae music in the early 1980’s, she was “not in a happy place”. The California native credits the songs she heard from Jamaica for lifting her out of the doldrums.

Over 35 years later, reggae and Rastafari are still a big part of Ione Angeles’ life. That passion for both can be heard on Inna Word, her first album, which was released in March by Jah Servant Records, an independent company based in Edmonton, Canada.

It has seven songs including the title track, Show Me and Frontline.

“The most satisfying aspect of Inna Word is the quality of the work, and the love and great feedback I get from people. To hand someone a CD, then get a call or email from them and have them tell you how it has affected them, is the ultimate reward for any songwriter/singer,” she said.

Raised in San Diego, Ione Angeles got deep into reggae after going to a record store and asking staff to recommend their top three albums. Those were Bob Marley and The Wailers’ Exodus, Right Time by The Mighty Diamonds and Jerusalem by Alpha Blondy.

She later became a member of the all-female Mystic Ray band that performed around southern California. In the early 1990’s, Ione Angeles moved to Jamaica where she befriended some of the country’s top musicians including drummer Max Edwards of the Soul Syndicate Band, known for their work with The Wailers, John Holt and Johnny Clarke, among others.

“In Jamaica, I was exposed to the different flavors of reggae. I remember the sound systems either played the oldies like Dennis Brown, The Meditations, John Holt or dancehall which then was Lt Stitchie, Shabba or Tanya Stephens,” she recalled.

Edwards, her mentor, died in 2011. Angeles returned to California and spent the last 18 months working on Inna Word with Mark Giles, owner of Jah Servant Records, and guitarist Brian Steinberg.

The positive feedback to the album, she stressed, is as gratifying as a platinum seller.

“Sometimes it’s the only reward you might get from all the dollars you put out, but it is worth it.”