Reggae Summer Anthems 2009
Greetings and Blessings,
Winter is over and the sun is out which can only mean good things for Reggae fans. It is time to enjoy the season’s major releases that will carry us through the summer. Speaking of the summer, I want to start off by giving quick update on Sierra Nevada World Music Festival which has added several more artists to their already impressive lineup. The newest editions are Bushman and the legendary rhythm twins Sly & Robbie who will join the already confirmed Michael Rose, Gregory Isaacs, Etana, Easy Star Allstars, Michigan & Smiley, Tarrus Riley, Anthony B, The Heptones and many more. They must have felt overshadowed by Reggae Rising last year who put together one of the more impressive american reggae festivals in recent memory. But even though SNWMF is making quite a statement by nabbing Sly & Robbie who have headlined RR the last two years, Reggae Rising has finally begun to revamp their website and it looks like their line up will begin to manifest shortly, so stay tuned for that.
The song that is guaranteed to be in hot rotation as the summer gets under way is John Legend’s single, “Can’t Be My Lover,†which features two blazing verses from Dancehall legend Buju Banton. This song was supposed to be included as a bonus track on the deluxe edition of Legend’s latest release, “Evolver,†but for some reason never made the cut. I’m not sure why, but this track has grown to be a very popular tune for a track that isn’t even legally for sale anywhere. Amazon.com was carrying a single but after looking for it again, it has a note that explains that it had been “discontinued by the manufacturer.â€Â Got to love the music business… making sure the people get what they want. Well, that’s what we have imeem and YouTube for. Give thanks.
If you don’t like to be caught off guard when you hear everybody talking about certain new artists, then you had better familiarize yourself with Serani and Demarco. These two artists have brought melody back to dancehall for much needed refreshment. Serani’s track, “No Games†is likely to be the anthem of 2009, and “She Loves Me,†won’t be far behind. This is a huge step as a solo artist after his breakout collaboration with Bungle last summer titled “Doh.â€Â I first heard about Demarco after a picked up a copy of his track “I Wonder†on a mix tape while in Jamaica last year. I usually am not an advocate of auto-tune, but Demarco does it as well as it can be done. Though he sounded great over a one-drop, he knows that his style is better suited for the dancehall, so he dropped “Sort Dem Out†for the summer of 09. Check them out on the YouTube playlist below.
Make sure you also keep an ear out for Jah Cure who has an all new album dropping on April 7th titled, “The Universal Cure.â€Â This will be his first release of new material since being released from prison last year. His first single “Mr. Jailer,†is brilliant fusion track where he takes on the oppressor and comments on how they themselves are in prison. Cure is poised to make a serious comeback and regain his thrown as a Reggae superstar. Reggae fans have a lot to look forward to as artists continue to innovate and redefine our place in the greater music landscape. I look forward to being along for the ride.
Jah Bless - One Lovell
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