Destra brings new soca high to Mas Camp
Like a phoenix she rose. “Can you see me?” she quizzed with her signature Trinidadian accent, while standing on a platform. The energised crowd screamed, “Yes, Destra, we see you.”
Concluding the Bacchanal Jamaica Friday night fete series dubbed Sweet Dreams at the Mas Camp last Friday, soca diva Destra Garcia and the Atlantik Band were definitely in top form.
Is reggae music the only genre that releases hundreds of singles on a daily basis? I honestly do not know. But what I do know is that the way we handle our business in the reggae industry is affecting its monetary value.
Jamaica releases approximately 600 new songs daily. There are literally hundreds of producers spread out across the island. Some are your well established heavy weights while others are simply working with a drum machine at home. Whatever their situation these producers drum up music by the minute. And in an effort to be the next big thing or to maintain the current momentum, they basically give away their music all in the name of promotion.
Young and upcoming Jamaican reggae singer and rapper Sean Kingston is scheduled to perform here in a two-night show next month.
Organised by local concert promoter Absolute Entertainment, Kingston, whose real name is Kisean Anderson, will perform as part of his Sean Kingston’s Beautiful Girls World Tour – Live in Kuala Lumpur.
Mikey Dread, gone from the control
Radio disc jock Mikey Dread is dead. He succumbed to a brain tumour late yesterday afternoon at his family home in Connecticut, USA at the age of 54. Born Michael Campbell in Port Antonio, Jamaica, he distinguished himself as an extraordinary studio engineer and presenter at the now defunct Jamaica Broadcasting Corporation (JBC) where he came to prominence in the 1970s as “The Dread-the-Control Tower”, the name of the late night show he presented at a time when reggae music was scoffed at by many.
Da’Ville steps forward with ‘Yesterday’
Da’Ville continues to make strides with his music video Yesterday. It has held the number one position for two consecutive weeks, on the Hit List Video Countdown Chart on CVM and the feedback it has been receiving is very encouraging.
The single is also riding high on the Jamaica Music Countdown Top 20 Reggae Singles Chart at number seven. Da’Ville’s soca single Turn Me On, co-produced by Trinidad’s top producer $hel $hoc, is getting a lot of rotation on the airwaves both locally and overseas. It is also a favourite for female soca enthusiasts.
Sean Kingston, the kid singing for ladies
Sean Kingston, the 17 year-old Miami born, Jamaica bred artist, is not just a new face in popular music; he’s accomplished the rare task of creating a new genre where rap, reggae, pop, doo-wop and remarkable songwriting all combine into something totally refreshing. Add in Sean’s family roots, which cite Jamaican legendary producer Jack Ruby as his grandfather, and you have one of the most exciting debuts this year. And while hip-hop lyrics have sparked the biggest debate in years, Sean finds himself in the center of the controversy – but not where you might think. The teen prefers to show his creativity without using profanity.
Some time last year the Observer carried a story with the headline appealing for prayers for pioneer reggae stalwart Alton Ellis, who is now recovering from his illness. Around the same time, we also carried another article with the headline Not at the control: Mikey Dread has brain tumour.
Against that background, it would be fitting for us, admirers of Michael ‘Mikey Dread’ Campbell, like we did for Alton Ellis, to extend some positive thoughts and give him such energies of love that he so richly deserves, so that in short order his recovery, too, may be celebrated.
Byron Lee takes soca to the streets
Byron Lee and the Dragonaires provided a fun filled and exciting evening when most of Knutsford Boulevard was blocked off to accommodate the Jamaica Carnival Street Dance on Sunday.
While the Digicel Truck provided musical entertainment the Dragonaires prepared backstage to give the audience what turned out to be one of the most thrilling performances since the start of the carnival season.
Currently enjoying the admiration that comes with a successful album that brought her back into the charts, Nadine Sutherland’s name keeps calling far and wide. For sometime prior to 2007, her name didn’t resonate the way it used to for example, when her 1995 Action, in tandem with deejay Terror Fabulous, had an enormous impact on the Billboard Pop Chart where it was registered at number 39.
Humble’s journey not hard to see
When reggae artiste Humble released his debut album Hard To See, he never imagined after the success of the album that he would be in Jamaica working on his second album with top producers and artistes.
Born Simon Jonathan Vassell in England to Jamaican-born parents, Humble was exposed to music at an early age. Humble moved with his family to Toronto when he was three. It was when he was in college that he explored his love for music. “When I was in college I bought a guitar and I started from there teaching myself the chords” he said.