As someone who went to dances during the 1980s when ‘rub-a-dub’ reggae was fashionable, Delroy “Wormbass” Nevin has a lot of respect for lovers rock and its timeless rhythms. He was keen to emulate that sound for Sunshine, his latest song.
Released on May 10, the single is co-produced by the veteran bass guitarist and Michael Jacas. Wormbass, who has worked with diverse acts like Beenie Man and Winston McAnuff, is determined to revive the days when love dominated reggae.
“The music has a message and whatever we put in the music. That’s what the people live. So I think if we start singing about more love and less naked girls, we could turn Jamaica around,” he said.
The lanky musician cut his teeth on Jamaica’s hotel scene before working in exotic areas like Cancun, Mexico. When he returned to Jamaica in the 1990s, Wormbass formed the Blaze Band, earning fame as Beenie Man’s official touring unit.
In recent years, he has doubled as artist and musician, recording an album (Reggaeman) as well as a spattering of singles including Follow You and Liberation. Wormbass has also recorded and toured with Inna De Yard, a roots collective that includes McAnuff, Kiddus I and Cedric Myton of The Congos.
An admirer of Alton Ellis and Beres Hammond, two of the greatest exponents of lovers rock reggae, Wormbass had two special people in mind when writing and recording Sunshine.
“There is too much confusion going on right now in terms of how the music is presented these days. Nobody wants to love anymore, so I figured I’ll go for something smooth like how I saw my Mom and Dad when I was growing up,” he said.
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