BY HOWARD CAMPBELL—
Observer senior writer—
Emeterians (Photo: Denis Cherim) —
Since forming in Madrid, Spain 15 years ago, the Emeterians have shown appreciation for diverse types of reggae, which can be heard on their four previous albums.
They continue that trend with Roots O’Clock, their new album, which was released by VPAL Music on May 10. Like their last effort, 2017’s The Magic Touch, it is produced by Stingray International out of the United Kingdom.
The Emeterians (Maga Lion, Brother Wildman and Sister Maryjane) compiled 12 songs for what may be their strongest album yet. Maga Lion points to appearances by cosmopolitan guests for making that difference.
“In terms of songwriting, the big difference was building together five of the songs with the greats, featuring Clinton Fearon, Ky-Mani Marley, Luciano, Saritah and Tiano Bless. We had the chance to spend some quality time individually with each one and come up with a special, unique vibe,” he told the Jamaica Observer.
To build anticipation for the album, two songs were released last December: Fly With Me, done with Fearon, and Babylon Bridge with Marley. They have been heavily promoted by the group on social media.
The other collaborations are Zion I (alongside Luciano), Casa (featuring Tiano Bless of Chile) and Respect which they did with Saritah of Australia. Two interesting songs are the rocking Roots Reggae Party which revisits Black Uhuru’s Party in Session; and Quizas, a Spanish/reggae version of Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps, made popular in Jamaica by Dennis Brown.
“We were first approached to open Ky-Mani´s shows on his 2016 tour in UK, which was cancelled in the end. Imagine our surprise when two years later, we are doing a show together in our hometown, Madrid,” he related. “We quickly went back to Donovan Williams (of VPAL) who provided the contact. We were able to spend three amazing days with him and finally record the great Babylon Bridge. We can definitely say that it was amazing to share these vibes with Ky-Mani.”
The Emeterians released Power of Unity, their debut album, four years after they formed. In 2015 came their second album, Inna Different Style, which was followed by The Journey in 2016.
To promote Roots O’Clock, Emeterians will perform at several major festivals this summer including Rototom Sunsplash in Benicassim, Spain, as well as in the Balearic Islands, Portugal, Germany and London.
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