By Howard Campbell— With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, love is in the air! Not to be left out are Hopeton Lindo and his team at Irie Pen Records dropping two songs from their Favorite ‘riddim’ on February 8. Six artists recorded songs on the uptempo beat which was done by the Heavybeat Crew. Hopeton Lindo, Sanchez, Peter G, Novel-T, Anthony Malvo and INique do it justice with solid songs, all produced by Lindo. The Irie Pen … Read entire article »

Fred Locks ‘Black Star Liner’ Fred Locks’ 1976 LP Black Star Liner sits on any short list of classics from Reggae’s golden era of the 1970s. The LP, available again in a newly remastered edition, evokes the earnest vision of repatriation that Marcus Garvey articulated and attempted to actualize a century ago. Writers Steve Barrow and Peter Dalton put the release in context in Reggae: The Rough Guide: “‘Black Star Liners,’ which became an enduring roots anthem that … Read entire article »

A graphic designer by profession, Denzel Martin is used to expressing himself through different forms. It’s no different when it comes to his music. On February 2, the singer is poised to release Bounce With Me, a song he co-produced with Delroy “Fatta” Pottinger, who also created its rhythm. “Bounce With Me has a dancehall and hip-hop vibe, which was intentional. I wanted to reach a wide range of listeners. Most of the songs for my upcoming … Read entire article »

Every once in a while an artist comes along that creates the kind of music that reminds us who we are at our core: loving and caring souls, all created in the image of God, regardless of our ethnicity, gender, or physical attributes. The artist of whom I speak is Bog Walk, St. Catherine native Wesrok, who although labeled Jamaica’s king of country-reggae music, has far surpassed that tag, and should now be referred to … Read entire article »

The title of Bushman‘s newly released song Whyne Dung is misleading. Owing to the fact that Whyne Dung is a commonly used Jamaican colloquialism which when interpreted means dancing sensually, upon hearing the name one might assume that the highly respected Rastafarian has disregarded his principles and is now making the kind of music that he has denounced throughout his career. Thankfully that is not the case. The track’s lyrical content stands in stark contrast to the above statement and is instead … Read entire article »

Singing Melody— Veteran Jamaican singer Singing Melody has released his latest song entitled Fragile. The passionate and heartfelt song explores the emotions of a man who shares his inner thoughts with his love interest. Originally written and performed by Labrinth, Singing Melody has distinguished his rendition by rearranging the song for his international listening audience. Incorporating a reggae, one-drop flavor, Singing Melody relates a man’s feelings which dismisses the tough exterior and replaces it with the sensitive and sometimes vulnerable place … Read entire article »

A committed Christian, Avlon “Vessel” Coleman makes no secret of his admiration for dancehall stars like Beenie Man and Buju Banton, as well as rappers Tupac Shakur and Dr. Dre. Whenever he writes songs, he loves to record them to hard-driving beats. That is the case with Truly Bless and Doing It Big, his latest songs which are produced by Craig McDonald. Gospel music, Vessel noted, has no set audience. “I don’t limit myself to a particular … Read entire article »

In the macho world of dancehall music, it’s rare to hear an artist sing or deejay about losing his girl. That’s exactly what P’damore does on Fish Out Of Water, a song he co-produced and was released in December. According to the Toronto-based singjay, the single is inspired by a friend of his who became depressed after his lady walked out on him. While sympathetic to his plight, P’damore decided to write a song based on … Read entire article »

By Nelson A. King— Singer Richie Stephens. Photo courtesy Richie Stephens/Pot of Gold Record—   Singer Richie Stephens, who will celebrate 40 years in the entertainment business this year, has just dropped a new collaborative single, “Wicked,” with dancehall emperor Shabba Ranks. “The song invites comparison to Shabba’s 1991 duet with Maxi Priest, titled ‘House Call’”, Jamaican, New York-based, entertainment publicist Anthony Turner told Caribbean Life on Monday. “The groundbreaking track assured Shabba’s success and introduced reggae/dancehall music to a larger international audience,” … Read entire article »

By Howard Campbell— Terry Linen.— A classic song from the 1990s, No Heathen by Anthony Redrose resonated with fans of roots-reggae and hard core dancehall music. A new version of that single is being released this week featuring Redrose and Terry Linen. The latter, known for hit songs like Couldn’t Be The Girl For Me and a cover of Whitney Houston’s Your Love Is My Love, is featured on the new edition, which is produced by Tad Dawkins Jr for Tad’s International … Read entire article »