Inner Circle reflects on ‘State of da World’ Legendary reggae band Inner Circle is one of the acts confirmed for this year’s staging of Reggae Sumfest. The creators of Bad Boys – which later became the theme song for the television series, Cops – and the mega hit Sweat (A La La La La Song), [...]

Contagious – Tarrus Riley spreads ‘sweet sickness’ on third album It’s early Tuesday evening at Grafton Studios in Vineyard Town, St Andrew. Tarrus Riley has just finished voicing a track, but that is not his only reason for being particularly upbeat. He is in the later stages of preparing his third album for an August [...]

Recession Silencing the Music VP Records (VP) and the ‘Big Four’ record labels (Universal, Sony, Warner and EMI) continue to struggle with sales down figures as high as 20 per cent this year due to the economic downturn which seems to be silencing the music. All posted lower sales with VP charging that even its [...]

Uganda moves to reggae beat – Though Marley mania holds firm, new interests abound Though the global economic recession has flushed the fortunes of Jamaican products like alumina down the toilet, at least one signature export is thriving in transatlantic exchange. Reggae, a genre still synonymous with the deceased island singer Bob Marley, is alive [...]

Dressing the wounds of dancehall In the article entitled ‘No Caribbean love for dancehall’ by Krista Henry in the May 10 issue of The Gleaner, the assertion that “Caribbean islands are putting a ‘stop order’ on Jamaican artistes travelling throughout the region” is not only misleading but also divisive. Indeed, the observation that Jamaican songs [...]

Legends ready to rock TT With just one week to go before the show that will set the pace for all shows to follow in 2K9 and beyond, promoters of I Am Legend II, are rearing to go and eager to see the masses that will flock to the Queen’s Park Savannah next week Saturday. [...]

Vacant Metro Orlando homes leave neighbors feeling empty There’s a squiggle of yellow crime-scene tape on the ground and a notice from code enforcement staked to the front yard of the vacant, one-story brick home near Lake Jessamine in Orange County. The water in the backyard swimming pool is dark and scummy. Tim Repasky says [...]

Showcase: Bob Marley by David Burnett David Burnett has published his first book, “Soul Rebel: An Intimate Portrait of Bob Marley in Jamaica and Beyond” (Insight Editions). It features the legendary reggae musician and his contemporaries, photographed first in Jamaica in 1976, then during Mr. Marley’s European tour in spring 1977. Mr. Burnett worked for [...]

Aswad reunites for Island’s 50th anniversary Arguably one of the most prestigious record labels in the history of British music, Island Records has spawned countless artistes in its 50-year history. Founded by Chris Blackwell, the label is probably best known for bringing Bob Marley and The Wailers to international prominence.

Julian Marley urges ‘Awake’ on third album Though primarily a roots reggae album, Julian Marley delves into several other genres on his latest project, Awake. On the album, due out May 26 through Ghetto Youths/Universal, there is a marked difference between the feel of two adjacent songs on the same topic, the slow, bare-bones (musically) [...]