UB40 mixes new songs with old gems on latest album

Twenty-five years after their recording debut, Britain’s venerable pop-reggae group UB40 _ perhaps best known for the chart-toping 1984 remake of “Red, Red Wine” _ smartly plays to its strengths with politically minded originals alongside reworked pop and reggae classics on “Who You Fighting For.”

The best of the latter is an update of “Things You Say You Love,” The Jamaicans’ vintage roots-reggae hit from the 1970s, and a surprising Beatles artifact, “I’ll Be On My Way”; more obvious is Matumbi’s seminal ’70s British reggae hit “After Tonight.” “Duke of Earl” Gene Chandler’s “Groovy Situation” (title-changed here to “Good Situation”) seems an odd pick, but grows on you as the chorus repeats.

Mad Professor (Interview)

Seattle Weekly: Ariwa Sounds, your label based in South London, has released over 200 albums. What year did it start?

Mad Professor: I started my recording studio in 1979 and the label started in March of 1981. The first single we put out was “Come Back Again” by a singer named Sgt. Pepper. My first dub release wasn’t until May 1982: Dub Me Crazy Part 1.

Vegas’ Taxi Fare scores big in Japan

Fresh from his recent series of club dates in Japan, Mr Vegas is brimming with excitement about his latest chart topper Taxi Fare. The single which was produced by Richard ‘Shams’ Browne for the B-Rich label, is sitting comfortably inside the top 10 of the local charts.

Lacu heats up ‘soca spotlight’

Pan music (and the steel pan) was highlighted last week when the Family Radio’s “Vybz Soca Spotlight” profiled renowned pan soloist, Aubrey “Lacu” Samuel and 2005 Panorama Champions Gemonites.

Producer of the programme Stewart Davis said last week’s programme, which featured pan music was as spin off of one held the week prior.

Rebel! This lady eloped from home to play music

At the peak of her career in Kano where she once lived, female reggae musician Quincy Ocheme was so hot in demand that promoters who failed to feature her on their concerts paid dearly.

Such erring promoters usually ended up with a tale of woes as fans of the dread-locked musician went on rampage, smashing and damaging instruments to protest her exclusion.

Where calypso went

If the wearisome format holds, Dimanche Gras will be another expensive sleeping-pill, burdening its audience with 24 calypsoes, the clear majority of which will likely be forgotten forever by the time patrons exit the venue.

It wasn’t always so but calypso, the painfully longer element of the show’s two components, has become its downfall. Dirges about social and political issues-invariably bad news-drone on interminably, while the audience snores or hangs out at the bar and upon conclusion of that bizarre exercise, a winner is declared.

Here comes RawSun

“Who is RawSun?”

That was the question late last year as a Honolulu public relations firm announced the arrival of the reggae hip-hop artist and the release of his new album, “Rated R,” on the independent Hard Eight Records.

An additional question should’ve been “Where is RawSun from?” Was he a product of the Hawaii recording industry?

Matisyahu live, dynamic CD

Well, it’s time to venture down the listening avenue of life and review a CD for all to hear. The Matisyahu album, “Live at Stubb’s,” is something very unique in the realm of music. By that, I mean reggae music fronted by the lyrical styling of rap with a Jewish/spiritual message. So follow me as I review another Jewish band’s music.

Big Youth brings love and righteousness

The mightiest of MCs, the dopest of DJs, Jamaican legend Big Youth is on his way to New Zealand, writes Grant Smithies.

One of the biggest stars of Jamaican music, Big Youth is singing down the phone from Kingston, Jamaica. Perhaps surprisingly, he’s singing a punk song. “God save de Queen, it’s a fascist regime … love it, bredren, I absolutely love it!”. He’s waxing nostalgic about the late 70s, a time when the Sex Pistols were the hottest band in England and Manley Augustus “Big Youth” Buchanan was the hottest DJ in Jamaica – and now, 30 years later, the man is heading here. And by DJ I don’t mean some unimaginative bozo who spends all night playing records with the same tempo in a club. In Jamaica a DJ, or “toaster”, is the microphone king, the master of ceremonies…

Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry for Western Consciousness

Legendary record producer and recording artist Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry has been confirmed as the headliner for the 2006 edition of Western Consciousness, slated for for Saturday, April 29, at the Llandilo Cultural, Savannah-la-Mar, Westmoreland.

With negotiations still in progress, other acts that have so far been confirmed to appear on the 18th staging of the annual roots and culture reggae festival, dubbed as a “Celebration of Good Over Evil”, are Barrington Levy and Richie Spice.