Although scorned by some music pundits as the decade dancehall/reggae lost its way to ‘slackness’, the 1980s were still a good time for the roots and culture singer.
One of that era’s survivors, Wayne Lyrics stays true to form on I Conquered, his latest album, which was released in October.
He got his start on sound systems in his native St. Mary parish and Spanish Town where he called home for several years. Lyrics, who began recording in 1989, has lived in the United Kingdom since the mid-1990s.
“My sound has grown over the years as I get more mature in the business. And my lyrical content hasn’t changed as I’m a cultural artist from the get-go,” he said.
Lyrics is currently promoting five songs from the set — the title track, Crying For The Poor, Hold On, She’s Going Away and Rasta Love. Hold On features fellow singer Michael Buckley, another veteran of Jamaica’s sound system circuit.
“The link with Michael Buckley was a easy one. I know Michael Buckley from in the early 80’s. I rang him up and asked him for a strength on the album and he said to me just send the riddim and my vocals which I send off to him,” Lyrics recalled. “That same evening he went into the studio and start recording. He rang me and said the tune has taken a different turn. I asked how, and he played it for me. When I heard what he did it was something different from the idea I had, so that’s how Hold On was created.”
Another collaboration on I Conquered is Everyday Is A Gunshot with Anthony Johnson. It is a cover of Gunshot, Johnson’s 1982 hit.
I Conquered is Wayne Lyrics’ sixth album.
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