First off, let me apologize for not posting over the last few weeks but I have been busy doing the only thing that tears me away from the keyboard… and that’s live Reggae.  We have been blessed with summer full of Reggae concerts and festivals starting in June with the Sierra Nevada World Music Festival (SNWMF) and continuing through an epic Reggae Rising a few weeks ago along with other various shows here in the San Francisco Bay.  Every night there seems like another show that can’t be missed such as Mykal Rose last week and a Beres Hammond show last night.  Phew…  I got to send a special shout out to the bredren of Woven Roots from Humboldt County, who put on a wicked show at Pier 23 before backing up the Virgin Island legend, Army.  I had heard some recordings but technology can be deceptive so I was pleasantly surprised with their musicianship and live dub sections.  Definitely check out their debut album, “Storms of Change.”  

Sierra Nevada World Music Festival

As I have mentioned in my earlier posts, SNWMF has taken over the irie void left by the transformation of Reggae on the River to its current manifestation of Reggae Rising.  Sierra Nevada really stepped it up this year with a stellar Roots Reggae line up highlighted by legends, Sly & Robbie, The Abyssinians, The Heptones, Ras Michael, Mykal Rose, Junior Ried, and also contemporary artists, Tarrus Riley, Anthony B, Etana, and Bushman.  This was a really special show because this was my first time seeing many of these artists since I was a kid.  Going into it, I was most excited for Mykal Rose, because I had recently listened to the entire catalogue of his work as well as his dub projects, and I was not disappointed.  Backed by his own band, Mykal tore the place down with classic Black Uhuru tracks such as, “Sensimillia,” and “General Penitentiary,” but also included his more recent work such as, “Real Jamaican” and his collaboration with Damian Marley “Shootout.”  Sly and Robbie were incredible as usual playing for what felt like 5 hours on Saturday night.  Starting with a wicked dub set then into a lover’s rock session with the backup singers, then on to a set with the incomparable, Cherine Anderson, who has one of the sweetest voices in Reggae and who also may be this genres most beautiful woman. Other shows that I was particularly impressed with was Bushman, Etana and I thought the star of the show was Tarrus Riley, who has one of the most powerful and fine tuned voices I have ever heard live.  Even with all that, my favorite moment of the festival was when Anthony B brought several children on stage and dedicated a song to the youth and the parents.  I thought that was a very nice touch and really embodied the spirit of the festival.  It was a moment that I will not soon forget so thanks to all the artists and the people of Epiphany for such a great SNWMF 2009.

Reggae Rising

Reggae Rising has come a long way and has endured lots of skepticism from the Reggae purists but there is one reason I can’t bring myself to miss this yearly gathering.  That reason is the music.  Artists come from all over the world for this one festival and look at it as a way to reward and share their craft with their core fan base here in the United States.  Some people love New Years or Christmas, or celebrate their birthday for weeks on end, but I have Reggae.  It’s that simple.  You’d think that after 18 years of going to this festival I would have exhausted my enthusiasm but my 19th was the most highly anticipated and still the greatest yet.  Joined by 17 close friends, we were blessed with show after show of great artists giving it their all.  There were one of a kind performances from: Luciano, Aswad, Gentleman, Freddie McGregor, Capleton, Marcia Griffiths, Toots and the Maytals and the list goes on.  After announcing the additions of Demarco and Luciano during the weekend of SNWMF it was clear that the people of Reggae Rising had a statement to make.  This is still the festival for contemporary Reggae.  So they were able to also get people like European dancehall star Million Stylez, Demarco, Lutan Fyah, Chezidek, Rootz Underground, Deserie, Nyorah, Queen Ifrika and many others to also bless the bill.  

Friday was highlighted by Rebelution, whose bassist Marley, who is the only person with that name who has been at that festival more often than me, as they announced that it was his 26th year.  Nyorah also stood out but had some sound issues that affected the delivery. Luciano came with his usual energy and incredible stage show as the night cap, but I thought Queen Ifrica really stole the show.  With a diverse mix of singing and chanting she represented for the sistren and really left her mark in her first visit to Reggae Rising.  Nuff Respect…  

Saturday was a marathon of unmissable performances starting in the early afternoon with Rootz Underground who had entirely new show from the last time that I saw them featuring many brand new songs from their new release, “Gravity” set to drop in the early part of 2010.  They had the same Roots Rasta vibe but added a certain hiphop/ electronic element and looked much more confident on stage so big up to the bredren of the Underground.  Dezarie followed them; putting on a very spiritual set which I thought was a nice addition to the day that can often be dominated by dancehall.  Million Stylez followed her and put on a good lyrical show but was slighted because he didn’t perform with a band.  He and Demarco were the first artists I’ve ever seen do that and I hope they are the last.  Chezidek (backed by a band) followed him and was the surprise of my Saturday with his surprising powerful and clear voice.  He also performed several wicked new tunes so definitely keep an eye out for his next project.  They switched the schedule to have Toots next instead of last which I thought was a good move to then have Lutan Fyah and Capleton close it out.  Lutan Fyah really came with his best and sounded well rehearsed was clearly a fan favorite.  Capleton of course had the entire place dancing with hit after hit but really made a statement with his silver encrusted white/Burberry robe ensemble.  I’m never disappointed by his custom threads.

Sunday was a good wind down and featured several Reggae legends.  One my favorites, Freddie McGregor, came and blessed the place along with several artists from his Big Ship Record label Laden and Chino.  The Original Wailers also came and gave everybody their dose of Marley covers but the sisten really came and stole the show once again.  Sister Carol and Marcia Griffiths both came and put on electrifying performances and I thought really exceeded expectations.  Nuff respect to the Empresses.  Capping the roots session was an extremely rare (maybe 15+ years since they last performed in the US) performance by English drum and bass duo, Aswad.  They displayed a talent and excitement that could only come from decades in the business and gave the youth a much needed dub lesson especially with the absence of Sly & Robbie.  I will never forget the 2 minute intro to the extended Dubfire version…  Gentleman and the Far East Band headlined the night for the 2nd straight year and showed why when they delivered a custom show with many extended versions and brand new tracks from his upcoming album.  He even used it as a testing ground for tracks he was considering, which I thought was really special.  I don’t think they’ll bring him back for the 3rd straight but I hope that his next tour makes it over the Atlantic.  If you ever get a chance to see him, don’t miss it.

This year at Reggae Rising was unbelievable and I thought a very successful over all execution but there were several disappointments that I would be remiss to mention.  The first was the overall organization which I thought took a major hit from the previous years.  There were countless people at will call on Thursday struggling to get tickets they had paid for and there was very poor communication between staff on how to resolve the issues.  There was also the artists playing with DJs which there is no place for.  There are dozens of bands hired for this festival and it doesn’t do the artist justice to make them play with a background track because the fan cannot help but compare it to the other acts.  No disrespect to Demarco and Million Styles because they came with it anyway so nuff respect.  Of course these are minimal criticisms because the festival was such a blast but I hope that the people of Dimmick Ranch make some organizational adjustments before next year’s festival.  I’ll have to make it special since it will be my 20th.  Who’s with me!?

Give thanks and praise to the Almighty Jah for the inspiration and grace to make this movement a reality.  Reggae has had a long road and is finally gaining the traction it needs to really succeed here in the United Sates.  Since Bob Marley and the Wailers, Reggae has struggled to thrive here but with the persistence of Sizzla, Capleton, Buju and others, the doors have been opened it has opened for artists like Sean Paul, Sean Kingston, Rihhanna, Demarco, Serani, and other Caribbean artists that now enjoy great pop notoriety.  Check back soon for my reviews of my favorite albums released this summer.  

Jah Bless & Jah Guide until we meet again.

Marley “One” Lovell

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.”  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.”  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.”  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

]]> http://hiphop-reggae.com/blog/2009/03/25/admin/reggae-summer-anthems-2009/feed/ 0 http://hiphop-reggae.com/blog/2008/02/18/admin/fresh-new-music/ http://hiphop-reggae.com/blog/2008/02/18/admin/fresh-new-music/#comments Tue, 19 Feb 2008 01:52:24 +0000 Marley Lovell http://hiphop-reggae.com/blog/2008/02/18/admin/fresh-new-music/ Greetings Reggae heads, I wanted to follow up my post on my my visit to Tuff Gong Studios by highlighting some artists that I discovered while in Jamaica. At Tuff Gong I was mostly on the hunt for Italian Reggae artist Alborosie, who does some fantastic remixes of classic Reggae anthems such as Tenor Saw’s “Ring The Alarm,” and Black Uhuru’s “Guess Who’s Coming To Dinner.” Other 45’s that I picked up were tracks from Prestige, Richie Spice, and Sizzla. I was unable to find a new tracks from Stephen Marley, Damian Marley, or Collie Buddz that were blasting on Irie FM, but I will let you know as soon as I find the titles. The gem of the Tuff Gong visit was a live performance of “Fire” by Ricky Chaplin. I was happy to support him following this display, so make sure you check him out, Big Up. Another Gem that I found was “Victims of The System” by emerging band Rootz Underground. Before I left, I had heard about this band because guitarist, Jeffrey Moss Solomon is my cousin. I was excited to support the family, but i will admit that they exceeded my expectations. This track is blazing hot, and i will be scooping up every release that i can find. They are currently touring the United States, so make sure you keep and eye out.

Unfortunately for the Artists, the most reliable way to get the newest music is from street vendors. I picked up several CD mix tapes from the Higher Heights Sound System. On theseCD’s I did not find new songs from well known artists, but brand new artists with a fresh new sound. These included I-Octane, Demarco, Mavado, Queen Ifrika, Bugle, Da’ville, and Alaine. Sprinkled amongst these selections were songs from the likes of Lutan Fyah, Sean Paul featuring Shabba Ranks, and even Gregory Isaacs. Though I am an avid fan of Roots and Culture Reggae, I did pick up a Dancehall CD called Higher Heights Gangsta War, Volume 3. Featured on this CD were Mavado, Busy Signal, Vybz Kartel, Cobra, and Blak Rhyno. I was surprised by the quality of the new dancehall that had clearly been influenced by Hip-hop since the last time that I had heard.

Make sure you check out for these artists in the coming months, as I’m sure you will be hearing more from them as we approach the summer. Give thanks, and leave a comment to let me know what you think of these artists.You can always check out my radio show to hear the latest music that I am hyped on. Jah Guide

]]> http://hiphop-reggae.com/blog/2008/02/18/admin/fresh-new-music/feed/ 0