GUEST RUNDOWNS | CLINTON LINDSAY

SOPHIA BROWN GETS BEHIND THE PROMOTION OF HER NEW RELEASES!

June 23rd, 2014 | Add a Comment

By Cecelia Campbell-Livingston– Sophia Brown—-SINGER Sophia Brown is currently promoting her latest singles, Touch Me and Wide Awake. Both are from her 12-track album, Wide Awake, slated for release in November. Touch Me is produced by Denva Smith for the Music Mecka Records. The title track credits Christopher Tyrell as producer for the Cabba Sound Productions label. Brown described the upcoming set as a mixture of pop and reggae. It will be her third album. At last month’s Linkage Awards in New York, she received a Lifetime Achievement Award for 20 years in the business. “I was really grateful to be acknowledged for my music and work in the industry,” she said. Brown hopes her new songs will work and earn her a Grammy Award. Her previous album, Catch Me If You Can, was in the … Read entire article »

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GOSPEL ARTIST K-ANTHONY CALLS FOR MORE EDUCATED MUSICIANS!

June 23rd, 2014 | Add a Comment

By Curtis Campbell— K-Anthony— Reggae Gospel artist K-Anthony, is advising other music practitioners to educate themselves in the field if they want to better understand their craft. According to the artist, who holds a Bachelor’s degree in music from Trinity College in London, studying made him cognisant that music is not only about singing notes. “I decided to do a degree in music because I wanted to have greater knowledge about the craft. I wanted to understand about composition and sound. I also wanted to be best prepared for a career in music,” he said. The artist believes persons who choose to study about the music profession, will have greater respect for the art and will be open to appreciating music of all kinds instead of limiting themselves to genres from their immediate surrounding. A former athlete, K-Anthony says his … Read entire article »

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FRENCH BOOK LINKS PETER TOSH TO THE GANJA TRADE!

June 22nd, 2014 | Add a Comment

By Howard Campbell— Peter Tosh is said to have been part of a 1976 smuggling operation that raised money to fund his groundbreaking album Legalize It—. Peter Tosh never hid his love for ganja. He wrote several songs about its spiritual powers and was a passionate advocate for its legalisation. But was the ‘Stepping Razor’ part of an illegal ganja trade that reportedly thrived in Jamaica during the 1970s? A book co-written by American Lee Jaffe, his former associate, says Tosh was part of a 1976 smuggling operation that raised money to fund his groundbreaking album Legalize It. Jaffe and French university lecturer Dr Jeremie Kroubo Dagnini co-wrote Bob Marley & The Wailers: 1973-1976, an extension of One Love: Life with Bob Marley and the Wailers, a 2003 book Jaffe co-authored with Roger Steffens, … Read entire article »

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FOUR WEEKS AND COUNTING FOR MIKEY SPICE ON TOP OF THE SOUTH FLORIDA REGGAE ALBUM CHART!

June 22nd, 2014 | Add a Comment

THE SOUTH FLORIDA TOP 15 ALBUMS/CD’s CHART 6/20/14 Four weeks @ No.1 TW LW WOC TITLE ARTIST LABEL 1 -1 -12 I AM I SAID (4) MIKEY SPICE JOE FRASER RECORDS 2 2 6 Fly Rasta Ziggy Marley Tuff Gong Int’l 3 3 8 Hi-Grade Ganja Anthems Vol.4 Various Artists Greensleeves/VP 4 4 6 Radical Sizzla VP Records 5 7 6 You Can Make It King Banton Trainline Records 6 8 5 Sweet Personality Riddim Various Artists Nature’s Way Ent. 7 6 18 Love Situation (6) Tarrus Riley Cannon/Juke Boxx 8 10 4 The Oracle Unleashed Little Hero/Pzed Earth Strong Records 9 5 15 The Journey (5) I-Octane Tad’s Records 10 12 3 Ragga Ragga Ragga 2014 Various Artists Greensleeves/VP 11 13 2 It’s Major D Major Penthouse Records 12 9 19 Welcome To My World (4) Terry Linen Joe Fraser Records 13 11 10 … Read entire article »

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CURTIS MAYFIELD: THE ARCHITECT OF THE IMPRESSIONS!

June 22nd, 2014 | Add a Comment

Curtis Mayfield– Curtis Mayfield leads the group through R&B-soul transition The professional vocal blend, harmony and lyrical content of the 1960s vocal group, The Impressions, established them as a unique musical force, at a time when pop music’s main concern was love songs and dance tunes. Their impact spread far and wide, even here in Jamaica, where they had more of their songs covered by Jamaican groups than any of their contemporaries, which included outstanding performers like The Drifters, The Temptations, The … Read entire article »

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THE “SKILL” OF ALLAN COLE INFLUENCES THE LYRICS OF THE HIT SINGLE “SPIRULINA” BY CHRONIXX!

June 22nd, 2014 | Add a Comment

Allan ‘Skill’ Cole (left) greets FIFA President ‘Sepp’ Blatter (centre), while Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) President Captain Horace Burrell looks on during a JFF cocktail reception at the Terra Nova hotel on Waterloo Road in St Andrew in September 2010.—- By Mel Cooke— In Behind Curtain, Chronixx pays his respects to Deon Burton, the man who scored four goals in five matches to play a major part in Jamaica getting to the World Cup finals in France in 1998. It is not the only time that he name-checks a footballer of note from many years ago. And if Burton, whose name Chronixx uses as an example of excellence which is envied (“Dem nuh waah si yuh dribble like Burton”), is a dim memory as a player, then the footballer he mentions in Spurlina is barely a blip on the … Read entire article »

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SUGAR MINOTT – “THE OLE DANCEHALL MASTER!”

June 22nd, 2014 | Add a Comment

By Shereita Grizzle— Can you remember the period when dancehall music first became popular? Do you remember jammin’ to hits from the likes of Tony Tuff, Barry Brown, Junior Reid, Tenor Saw, Jah Stitch, and Captain Sinbad? No doubt, those listed above were some great entertainers and dancehall pioneers, but before them was the late Lincoln ‘Sugar’ Minott, the ‘Godfather of dancehall music’. The 1980s is documented as the era in which dancehall music was birthed, and Sugar Minott may have paved the way for its emergence. During the mid-1970s, while Minott was with Studio One, he developed his writing skills and produced tracks that could be considered the first set of dancehall songs. At a time when radio and TV had sign-off periods, Minott climbed to the top of Jamaica’s entertainment industry. Vanity (Ole King Cole), Hang on Natty, and Mr DC were some of his earliest … Read entire article »

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CARLENE DAVIS TO DROP NEW ALBUM “DRIPPING BLOOD” JULY 12!

June 22nd, 2014 | Add a Comment

By Cecelia Campbell-Livingston— DAVIS… title track was inspired by a moment of spirituality experienced by her husband Tommy Cowan— Gospel singer Carlene Davis is preparing to release her latest album, Dripping Blood on July 12. She said the title track was inspired by a moment of spirituality experienced by her husband Tommy Cowan while taking communion. “He said he literally felt the blood of Jesus flowing down on him as he worshiped and praised the Lord after drinking the wine in remembrance of how Jesus shed his blood for our remission of sin,” she told the Sunday Observer. The single Dripping Blood is a bonus on the 16-track set which comes five years after Davis’ previous album, True Worship. Produced by Cowan for Glory Music, it has input from arranger Dave Green and singer Othneil Lewis. Among … Read entire article »

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“IGNORE GAY ISSUES…TACKLE OTHER TOPICS” INDUSTRY PERSONNEL URGES ARTISTS!

June 22nd, 2014 | Add a Comment

By Curtis Campbell– DJ Sunshine—- Musicians urge colleagues to tackle other topics— Music industry participants are asking their colleagues to exclude the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community from the topics they choose to speak about in their songs. According to veteran reggae artist Tappa Zukie, known for singles like Oh Lord and Raggy Joey Boy, it is clear some battles are not worth fighting. “It’s not everything you can prevent. We just need to make good and original music to make people happy and to make them dance. To each his own, and we should not be judging others either because what a man chooses to do with his life is his business,” he said. The conversation about what type of music was appropriate came to the fore last month when Queen Ifrica had a scheduled performance … Read entire article »

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JAMAICA’S NATIONAL SECURITY MINISTER BLAMES THE ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY FOR THE NATION’S MORAL DECAY!

June 22nd, 2014 | Add a Comment

Kiprich— Artists won’t take the blame for violence— By Shereita Grizzle— Jamaica’s music industry players are still mulling the statements made by Minister of National Security Peter Bunting, even a month after those comments. In his sectoral debate presentation last month, Bunting said the country had developed a subculture of violence and lawlessness that was being reinforced and promoted by different segments of society, including the entertainment industry. Bunting said some artists continue to use their talents to advocate violence and hatred. He then went on to explain that these kinds of music belittle women and warp the values of the nation’s children. The minister used the fate of two of the industry’s top artists to drive home his point. “It is instructive that two of our most iconic artists are now convicted felons serving lengthy prison … Read entire article »

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