Album Review: ‘Reggae-In-Fusion’ Heavy On Hartford
There’s more to reggae than the old-school sound of Bob Marley or the newer dancehall-fusion style of quasi-rappers like Sean Paul.

In fact, reggae can be a template for pop, R&B, rap and even gospel. For proof, look no further than “Reggae-in-Fusion Album #1″ (Capsicum Records), a compilation of styles on […]

Is Shaggy Dancehall’s ambassador?

Dancehall was developed as a novelty genre. While reggae artists Bob Marley and Pete Tosh wrote about ‘One Love’ or ‘Shitstem’ respectively and ska spawned an often militant punk offshoot, it was vocal about wine, women and money.

Dancehall, in its 30-year history, has eschewed these trivialities for only two subjects, which (unfortunately) […]

Reggaefying classic rock

Don’t be surprised if you start hearing reggae versions of songs by top Israeli rockers on the radio in the future.
Michael Goldwasser, the mastermind behind New York-based record label Easy Star and the Easy Star All Stars, his scintillating band that has successfully reggaefied classic rock albums like Dark Side of The […]

Ska, dub bands a hit in Japan
You have no way of predicting what will or won’t happen in your lifetime. But really, I had no idea of experiencing one of two recent ‘firsts’ in the context that I did, even though it’s not quite surreal or even unbelievable that I did.
The first of the firsts […]

Jawaiian in Hawaiian

Call it Jawaiian or “island music” or local-style reggae. Call it what you will, musicians here have been writing and recording music with Jamaican rhythms for more than a quarter-century.
Henry Kapono rocked with “Stand in the Light” in 1981. Brother Noland hit with “Coconut Girl” in 1983. After that came the deluge!
What Hawaii […]