One of the most promising young international talents in all of reggae music, Dutch star Maikal X, has just made his first contribution to the betterment of Reggae shelves around the world by dropping what has to be one of the most anticipated debut albums of the year, Genesis. Over the past couple of years or so, and particularly within the last year, Maikal X has established his name as one of the strongest singers in the game and in doing so has made this project a really big deal for fans.

Genesis comes via the same Rock’N Vibes imprint which listeners should know from having previously put Ziggi Recado on the map and if that was any indication, this one should be big. The album features previous grand hits such as Best In You, Warning, and Bear With Me. It also includes combinations alongside other reggae stars, including Luciano, Peetah Morgan, and Hawaiian songstress Irie Love.

You can hear Here She Comes, one of the tracks from Genesis and enter to win a copy of the album here. (Enter by providing them with an email address – expect to receive more emails from them at that address.)

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Keera Rootz, the upcoming roots/reggae artiste from the Kleva Roots Family Production label, believes message must be in the music and despite her desire to be trendy and appreciated by teenagers and young adults especially in Jamaica, she is adamant about keeping the authenticity of reggae music in her songs. Keera released a single, entitled Sweet Rub-A-Dub on a compilation album that also features tracks by stablemate Asante Amen as well as Little Hero, Determine and Teflon to name a few. The song she says “comes from the heart” and is a comparison between her love for music and love for a spouse.

Keera Rootz always knew she could sing but the thought of entertaining an audience had never crossed her mind until she braved the unthinkable, “her first performance”. It was the year 2008 and as she waited, it was as if she just stopped thinking, becoming almost oblivious to what was happening around her. Performance anxiety had just begun to get the best of her when the MC introduced her and in that instant, while making her entry, Keera Rootz came to life.

The performance lasted for about 15 minutes and went very well and Keera felt herself exhale, thinking to herself that she could continue doing this, ‘forever.’ She went through her routine basking in the positive response, satisfaction and appreciation of the audience; that mostly comprised of co-workers, managers and well wishers from her job, extended to her through cheers and the request for an encore. ‘It felt great’ she remembered as the performance seemed to end as quickly as it started.

The following day Keera was still receiving congratulations from her friends, colleagues and other patrons , who had attended the corporate party she performed at, who were still in awe at how well she had done. One of the calls she received was from the manager of the group L.U.S.T., who had also performed at the event. He told her that a well known local producer was interested in meeting her based on his report of her performance.

Unknown to her then, the producer was Fattis Burell, known for breaking international artistes such as Sizzla, Luciano and Capleton. Keera remembered her first studio session with Fattis, “just sing” he said as he recorded her. She recorded a few singles for him, which was not released before moving on. Since then Keera has matured, she has come to that place within her where she is able to “just relax and be creative”. The end product has been satisfactory thus far and marks for her the beginning of a new life of, ‘being in love with music’. Sweet Rub-A-Dub expresses just that as Keera Rootz’ clear crisp vocals belts out the lyrics, “You’re the first thing on my mind when I wake up in the morning” on the track. Her vocals are melodious, strong and harmonious. Keera Rootz, a promising new entrant to the Reggae music industry.

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Jah Sun has also announced the forthcoming Battle The Dragon dub album, due out fall 2010, where Jah Sun meets Special Delivery with additional featured artists including Gappy Ranks, Alborosie, Lion Camp and others.

Download free reggae song from Jah Sun: Meditation

Here’s Jah Sun’s latest hit, Meditation featuring Queen Omega.

Want to download this free reggae song? Check the music in this widget for free download access:

Jah Sun reggae tour dates

Jah Sun has announced the following summer tour dates. If you’re interested in booking Jah Sun, you can email him at booking@jahsunmusic.com .


• June 1 at the Ashland Armory in Ashland, OR w/ Alborosie
• June 2 at the WOW Hall in Eugene, OR w/ Alborosie
• June 11-12 at the Conscious Culture Festival in Tonasket, WA
• July 24 at the Cougar Mountain Reggae Festival in Saginaw, OR
• July 27 in Paris, France (location to be announced)
• July 30-31 at Reggae Jam in Bersenbruck, Germany
• August 14 at Northwest World Reggae Festival in Marcola, OR

About Jah Sun

Jah Sun mixes reggae, hip hop, and world music with a goal of social change and global healing. His conscious lyrics strive to inspire and uplift listeners from his hometown of Humboldt County, CA to the far corners of the globe where his music is heard. Jah Sun first appeared on the reggae music scene with his 2006 reggae debut Height of Light. Height of Light includes performances by reggae stars including Luciano, Junior Reid, Lutan Fyah, and Grammy Award winner Yami Bolo.

The Beat Magazine‘s Chuck Foster describes the debut by writing that “Jah Sun shines brightly on the Height of Light…the message remains positive and focused throughout…and offers some solution to the social problems addressed.”

Jah Sun’s next album, 2007′s Stronger includes guest performances by KRS-ONE, Norris Man, Chezidek, and Messenjah Selah.

Shortly thereafter, Jah Sun met German reggae superstar Gentleman and the Far East Band at the 2007 Raggamuffins Festival in Santa Cruz, California. The meeting grew into friendship, culminating publicly in a performance with the artists at California’s 2009 Reggae Rising festival. From that friendship comes Jah Sun’s 3rd release, the Gravity EP, created in collaboration with The Far East Band.

Jah Sun’s is currently working on his 3rd album, the eponymous Jah Sun, with production assistance from Stevie Culture.

But Jah Sun isn’t content to stop there. He has also formed Jah Culture, a partnership with Stevie Culture that has toured for 8 months and has a CD, 2012, scheduled for release this summer. He has also founded the Lion Camp with Ishi Dube, Soul Medic, Rocker T, Jah Works the Revolutionary, Winstrong and Stevie Culture. Lion Camp released their first single King of Kings, in 2009.

You can find more Jah Sun at www.JahSunMusic.com.

You can find more reggae videos from Jah Sun on Jah Sun TV. You can also visit Jah Sun’s MySpace page, Facebook page, or Jah Sun’s official website.

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Dancehall music first became popular in the late 1970s, a decade after dub music had already demonstrated the rich possibilities for reggae subgenres. Dancehall began in the Jamaican dancehalls as when people wanted something different from the roots rock that dominated the Jamaican music scene at that time. Local soundsystems began experimenting with new songs that were simpler, more pop, less political, and less Rastafarian.

Some people link this transition to Jamaican political changes as a new right wing government replaced the nation’s socialist government. (If you’ve ever wanted to experience fascism in action, just stop by your local dance club and try arguing with a bouncer.)

Ironically, dancehall’s sound came from the past rather than new directions as Sugar Minott, Don Mais, and their contemporaries began recording new vocals over 1960s riddims. Early dancehall luminaries were singers including Junior Reid, Barrington Levy, Frankie Paul, Don Carlos, Ali Campbell, and Triston Palmer. Some older reggae musicians such as Gregory Isaacs and Bunny Wailer also evolved their sound into the new dancehall phenomenon.

Dancehall also experienced a surge in the popularity of deejays who toasted and rapped in a U-Roy style instead of singing, with artistes such as Captain Sinbad, Ranking Joe, General Echo, and Yellowman capturing listeners ears and dancers’ bodies. During the early 1980s these deejays became more popular than the more traditional singjays, often receiving first access to new riddims.

As dancehall’s sound became less harmonious and more macho, so did it’s content, with a new format – sound clash – evolving to feature deejays and soundsystems competing on albums, mix tapes, and at live shows. There was some variation within this aggressive trend though, as Yellowman and Eek-a-Mouse rose to fame with distinctly humorous lyrics and female deejays including Lady Saw and Sister Nancy also rising to fame.

Ragga Music

Ragga (also known as “Raggamuffin”) is a rap-influenced form of dancehall reggae that mixes hip hop-style lyrics and electronic instrumentation. The term raggamuffin comes from the description of impoverished Kingston youth who in turn applied the word to their music. Ragga describes the purely digital dancehall sound that emerged in the mid-1980s. Though it is a descendant of reggae, ragga bears little resemblance to the roots rock of the previous decade due to it’s digital riddims and synthesized deejay vocals. Some reggae purists debate whether ragga is really a genre of reggae music.

The dancehall sound continued to change in the 1980s, becoming more digitized. In 1985 King Jammy released the hit single (Under Me) Sleng Teng by Wayne Smith. While it may not have been the first purely digital reggae riddim, it was the first that became widely popular, ushering in the ragga sound.

Wayne Smith – (Under Me) Sleng Teng video

Ragga deejays included rough-voiced deejays such as Capleton and Shabba Ranks as well as more melodic singjays such as Pinchers, Cocoa Tea, Frankie Paul, Half Pint, Carl Meeks, and Barrington Levy. At home in Jamaica, many deejays such as Bounty Killer, Ninjaman, and Buju Banton adopted a violent aesthetic similar to American gangsta rappers. Internationally, dancehall music began to appear on the hit charts in the US and other countries, including Shabba Ranks‘ Mr. Loverman and Chaka Demus and Pliers‘ Murder She Wrote.

Modern Dancehall music: controversy and new directions

In the 21st century dancehall music’s popularity was challenged by critics of it’s frequent homophobic content, the most notorious song being Buju Banton’s 1988 hit Boom Bye Bye, which advocates shooting and burning gay men. In addition to journalists and music critics, civil rights activists began the Stop Murder Music campaign and openly campaigned against homophobic dancehall artists and concerts featuring those artists. As a result, some concerts were cancelled, police opened investigations of some artists, and international governments blocked some artists’ travel. The artists countered by arguing that their lyrics were permissible free speech and in some cases compromising by changing their lyrics for American and European shows.

At the same time that the homophobic backlash and other violence amongst popular dancehall artists spiraled out of control, some prominent dancehall deejays “found religion” (Rastafarian, of course) and began the conscious dancehall (aka conscious ragga) movement, which replaced violent content with the kinds of conscious, ital, and cultural messages that dancehall had originally left behind in the 1970s. Artists such as Garnet Silk, Tony Rebel, Sanchez, Luciano, Anthony B, and Sizzla built purely conscious careers, whereas other previously-violent deejays such as Buju Banton and Capleton transitioned over to a conscious direction (often bouncing back and forth between conscious albums and more pop/dancehall content).

More recent dancehall stars include Mavado, Bounty Killer, Lady Saw, Shaggy, Diana King, Spragga Benz, Beenie Man, Elephant Man, and Sean Paul, who has released several Billboard hits in the United States.

(For everyone who is writing research papers, this article was written by a guy named Chris Keane (me) on June 4, 2009. I’ve updated it a few times in the intervening months. If you do finish your paper and would like to share it on the site or contribute any other articles, please leave a comment!)

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Hudson River Eco & World Music Fest event details

The reggae festival’s venue overlooks the beautiful Hudson River and is only 50 miles north of New York City.

• August 22, 2009 from noon to 8pm
• Croton Point Park, Croton-on-Hudson, NY (reggae festival map and travel directions)
• Early bird tickets $25 until June 15, General admission $40, college students with ID $20 at the gate, children under 12 free; tickets are available on the festival website
• Group rates are available for 15 or more people

The 2009 Hudson River Eco & Music fest’s theme theme is “Recycling to Save the Planet”. It’s organized to raise environmental awareness and support for environmental causes in the Caribbean and New York State’s Hudson Valley region. The all-day reggae festival is also minimizing it’s own carbon footprint via recycling, composting, energy conservation and other green initiatives. As the organizer states:

An important goal of the Hudson Valley Reggae, World Music Eco Festival is to educate audiences about the solutions that are available for clean energy, transportation, food, clean air and water, waste reduction, and sgreen residential living. Our goal is to promote interest and generate excitement about long-term community and planetary health and well being issues.

Vendors will be selling food and crafts at the festival, with a focus on green exhibits of environmentally-aware products and services that focus on green living, and well-being. Arts pavillions and health-related workshops will also be open to all attendees.

Video of the 2008 Hudson River Eco & World Music Fest

Learn more about the 2nd Annual Hudson River Eco & World Music Fest

Additional information about the reggae festival is available at the following links:

• On the official website at www.hudsonvalleyreggaefest.org
• Official event news at www.hudsonvalleyreggaefest.org/news/
• On MySpace at www.myspace.com/upstatereggaeontheriver
• Call the event organizers at 800 557.4185, extension 8

The Hudson River Eco & World Music Fest is produced by Greenergy Productions LLC. Greenergy’s mission is “to produce continuous quality events in order to provide an ongoing revenue stream, resources, and tools to support education focusing on sustainability and Green initiatives.”

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Top IRAWMA award nominees included dancehall deejay Mavado (8 nominations), reggae crooner Beres Hammond and dancehall rapper Elephant Man (7 nominations each), reggae vocalist Etana and reggae singer/deejay Queen Ifrica (5 nominations each) and Mr. Vegas (4 nominations. Given these artists’ popularity and wide range of nominees in all categories, it seemed certain that someone would go home empty-handed. But they didn’t.

The IRAWMA awards are determined by votes from fans and the music industry, but unlike other hidden-ballot music awards where standout performances tend to sweep multiple categories, the IRAWMA awards were evenly distributed, with nearly every A-list attendee taking home an award.

Longtime reggae star Beres Hammond took home the Entertainer of the Year and Songwriter of the Year Awards with his recent release of A Moment in Time, but was passed over in the Recording Artist, Male Vocalist, Best CD, and Best Song categories (the last was a particularly surprising split – the year’s best songwriter did not pen the year’s best song?). On the dancehall front, Mavado was awarded the Recording Artist of the Year and Best Song Awards, but his genre-busting hit “On the Rock” (recorded with hip hop luminary and mega-producer Jay-Z) didn’t win the Best Crossover Song category. In a final twist, Queen Ifrica and Etana were tied for the best female vocalist awards, with Etana also winning the Best CD and Queen Ifrica winning Best Female DJ/Rapper.

Decide for yourself: you can read the 2009 IRAWMA nominations list and compare it to the final awards list:

• Bob Marley Award for Entertainer of the Year – Beres Hammond
• Recording Artist of the Year – Mavado
• Best Male Vocalist – Tarrus Riley
• Best Female Vocalist – Queen Ifrica & Etana (TIE)
• Best Song – Mavado “So Special”
• Best CD – Etana “Strong One”
• Best Crossover Song – John Legend & Buju Banton “Can’t Be My Lover”
• Best Gospel Song – Stitchie & Elephant Man “What A Mighty God”
• Best Female D.J./Rapper – Queen Ifrica
• Best Male D.J./Rapper – Beenie Man
• Best New Entertainer – Serani
• Best Calypso/Soca Entertainer – Alison Hinds
• Best Reggaeton Entertainer – Daddy Yankee
• Best Latin Entertainer – Shakira
• Best Compas Entertainer – Nu-Look
• Best African Entertainer – Alpha Blondy
• Best Soukous Entertainer – Awilo Longomba
• Best Hip Hop/R&B Entertainer – Lil Wayne
• Outstanding Contribution to World Music – Wyclef Jean
• Most Outstanding Stage Personality – Machel Mantano
• Best Music Video – Stephen & Damian Marley “The Mission”
• Best Poet – Mutabaruka
• Most Educational Entertainer – Morgan Heritage
• Most Outstanding Show Band – Machel & Xtatik Band
• Most Consistent Entertainer – Calypso Rose
• Most Promising Entertainer – Lutan Fyah
• Most Improved Entertainer – Tanya Mullings
• Best Instrumentalist – Dean Fraser
• Best Backing Band – New Kingston
• Most Popular Selector – Stone Love
• Concert of the Year – Irie Jamboree
• Promoter of the Year – Sumfest
• Producer of the Year – Steven McGregor
• Songwriter of the Year – Beres Hammond
• Award for Spiritual Service thru Music – Lutan Fyah
• Community Service Award – Ziggy Marley, U.R.G.E.
• Marcus Garvey Humanitarian Award – Shaggy
• Best Song in Tribute to Barack Obama – Cocoa Tea – “Barack Obama”

Special awards included:

• International Reggae & World Music Hall of Fame/Lifetime Inductee – Clive Hunt, King Short Shirt, Sweet Honey in the Rock
• Master of the Caribbean Award – Mighty Sparrow
• Martin’s International/Inter-Culture Award of Honor – Granville Straker
• Award for Contributions to Music, Arts & Culture – Hon. Olivia “Babsy” Grange
• Producer’s “Respect” Award – Usain Bolt
• Awards of Appreciation for Contributions to Music Industry – Owen Dalhouse, Brigadier Jerry, Road Int’l, Heavy D

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Nominees for IRAWMA awards include dancehall deejay Mavado, nods in eight categories, Beres Hammond and Elephant Man with seven nominations each, Etana and Queen Ifrica each grabbing five nods, and Mr. Vegas with four nominations. Other nominees include Shaggy, Machel Montano, Morgan Heritage, Duane Stephenson, Damian Marley, Stephen Marley, Ziggy Marley, Wyclef Jean, Serani, Jazmine Sullivan, Luciano, Tony Rebel, Tarrus Riley and Stitchie, among others.

The full list of International Reggae and World Music Awards nominees and categories includes:

The event will include live musical performances by nominees Etana and Queen Ifrica, joined by Beenie Man, Cocoa Tea, Mighty Sparrow, Alison Hinds, Tarrus Riley, Dean Fraser, Calypso Rose, Tony Rebel, Gramps Morgan, Lt. Stitchie, Awilo-Soukous Band, Barbee, Mutabaruka, D’Angel, Duane Stephenson, Machel Mantano, Mutabaruka, Allison Hinds, and poet Malachi.

“We are very pleased with the response we are now receiving from the Caribbean and the rest of the world, and the respect that IRAWMA has been getting,” states Ephraim Martin, President of Martin’s International and Associates. “When we think back 28 years ago, there was no form of recognition for reggae or world music entertainers. Today, from all corners of the globe, world beat
music entertainers now have their special awards to look forward to each year.”

The 28th IRAWMA is now the talk of the town in and around New York and the Caribbean, as media, entertainers and fans from far and near are making preparations to be a part of the glamour and excitement, and to walk the red carpet on Sunday May 3rd at York College Performing Arts Center, in Jamaica, Queens, New York.

Visit www.irawma.com for more inforamtion.

American Airlines, which has served the Caribbean region for 38 years, is again the official airline sponsor of the prestigious made for television 28th Annual International Reggae and World Music Awards (IRAWMA), which is produced by Martin’s International & Associates, LLC.

Tickets for this grand gala celebration of world and reggae music are now on sale at all Ticketmaster locations, www.ticketmaster.com or 800/745-3000; also from IRAWMA 877/9-REGGAE and the York College Performing Arts Center box office 718/262-2840. Advance VIP tickets are $150 and general admission tickets $75 (more at the door). Tickets are also available at selected sponsors’ locations.

The official hotels are the JFK-Hampton Inn Hotel and JFK-RAMADA Plaza Hotel. You must mention “Reggae Awards” to get the special rate. Of course, American Airlines has returned as the official carrier. Please contact American Airlines at 800/433-7300 or visit www.aa.com.

The sponsors for this coveted event include: American Airlines- Official Airline Sponsor, American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA), Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB), Coca Cola, Western Union, Carib News, Irie Jam Media, Inc, LinkUp Media, Inc, JAMROCK Magazine, Inc, Carib News, TriFold Graphics and Printing, LLC, Sam’s Caribbean Market Place/Sams24-7.com, Dennis Shipping, Transcontinental Shippers, CVM TV, Keeling Records, DJ Steve’s Tax Services, Street Hype Newspaper, AVAGROW.COM, ONE CARIBBEAN RADIO 740 AM WNYH & ONECARIBBEANRADIO.COM, Blue Print The Magazine/Metric Bar & Grill, Dalhouse Production, Uptown Juice Bar, Drive Time Radio, Bennett Limousine/Bridal and Wiltshire Limousine.

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This is an ambitious choice for the Easy Star All Stars: the Beatles’ tracks feature fast tempos and layered melodies that offer less room for versioning than Easy Stars’ previous covers. The Beatles devoted 4 months to creating Lonely Hearts Club Band, widely considered to be their magnum opus and described by Rolling Stone Magazine as the greatest rock album of all time. Every track on Lonely Hearts Club Band is instantly recognizable and studded with enough of the Beatles’ unique creative touches to make any versionist run for the hills. But the Easy Stars arrive well prepared for this massive undertaking, combing their years of experience as reggae hitmakers and studio musicians with a knockout lineup of featured reggae vocalists including U Roy, Luciano, Matisyahu, Sugar Minott, and more.

While past Easy Star albums have all included similarly strong lineups by guest vocalists, Lonely Hearts Dub Band trades much of the sound engineering found on their previous releases for heavier emphasis on the singers’ performances. Lonely Hearts Dub respectfully maintains much of the Beatles’ original song structures with relatively clean recordings and tight keyboard, brass, and percussion counterpoints. Fans expecting more of the heavy dub instrumentals found on Dub Side of the Moon, will be in for a surprise. This new album pushes fewer boundaries and feels more reggae than dub; an open air festival instead of a smoky den, it will appeal to reggae fans and Beatles fans alike.

The Easy Stars Lonely Hearts Dub Band journey begins with the CD’s vibrant packaging, a trifold cardboard sleeve saturated in colorful images that are reminiscent of the Beatles’ original cover with some fresh reggae touches including a red, green, and gold color scheme and fields of ganja instead of flowers (see a sneak peek of Easy Stars Lonely Hearts Dub Band album art here). The music begins with the classic Beatles background noises, but quickly brings a dub flavor reminiscent of Dub Side of the Moon‘s Money with sounds of bubbling and coughing, interrupted by an air horn that sounds straight out of Black Ark.

The first track sets the album’s overall tone with Junior Jazz singing Sergeant Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band over a reggae melody, with light dub effects and some toasting thrown in for a fun song that retains much of the Beatles’ original sound. Luciano follows on With A Little Help From My Friends, a track that is miles away from the reggae artiste’s recent troubles with his “friends” Andrew “Shooty Shooty” Senior and Freckles Trench. Jah Messenger finds new friends in his backup singers and a rollicking track that continues the album’s uplifting tone and culminates with a chorus so joyful that the listener cannot help but smile and bob along.

Frankie Paul takes the baton with Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds, the album’s second single. The Easy Stars turn up the dub on this trippy, mellow track with stronger overdubs and skanky keys and guitars infusing the core melody. Getting Better follows with a loose, repetitive structure that gives room for more overdubs and a simple dub track sound behind The Mighty Diamonds harmonious vocals.

Easy Star fans who were hoping to find some pure dub versions reminiscent of the 4 bonus dub tracks on Dub Side of the Moon will enjoy Fixing A Hole, the first of 2 extended dub mixes on Lonely Hearts Dub. The dub effects that have flown beneath the previous tracks’ melodies burst the levee and engulf Max Romeo‘s smooth voice as the band’s low key instrumentals take center stage. The next track,She’s Leaving Home was the album’s first single, with good reason. Kristy Rock‘s smoky, smiling voice dives right back into the dub sounds that made Easy Star famous in their previous releases, flowing effortlessly to create a warm, nostalgic vibe that’s well-suited to the lyrics. Rock flexes her talents effortlessly and the sound engineer is unafraid to get dubby, resulting in a meditative masterpiece.

Ranking Roger follows with Being For The Benefit Of Mr. Kite! At its outset, this track continues the mellow dub tone set by its predecessors while getting closer to the Beatles’ orignal melodies. Things suddenly get interesting when it cuts to a brash dancehall infused bridge, complete with toasting and raucus brass instrumentation. Then, just as suddenly, the track returns to the mellow dub sound counterpointed this time with jangling samples of carnivals and bells.

Within You Without You is another highlight, in part because the light vocals and recursive melodies provide ample room for dubbing. Young Hasidic reggae star Matisyahu voices the perfect cover for George Harrison‘s original lyrics, bringing his own spirituality and incredible talents to create a version that in many ways outshines the original. Sitar and tabla stylings from Roger Lipson and Loren Oppenheimer, respectively, create a rich sound that flows over and alongside Matisyahu’s ecstatic beatbox whispers. The only thing missing from this track is Matisyahu’s now-famous hip hop toasting that brought new dimensions to his version of The Police‘s Message in a Bottle.

When I’m Sixty-Four is the second extended dub music mix on the album, and it’s as good as the first. Sugar Minott‘s voice lends itself to overdubbing while preserving the original song’s melodies. The trombone’s toasting that jumps in and out, culminating in a long dub instrumentation that deconstructs the whole piece into an echoing riddim. U Roy‘s toasting pairs well with Bunny Rugs’ singing on Lovely Rita, where the duo slyly suggest that Rita, the buttoned up meter maid, join them to smoke some tea, and the track wanders into dub territory in its second half with U Roy musing on his love for Rita.

Steel Pulse bring us back to the opening tracks’ cleaner tone on Good Morning Good Morning, a faster paced song that drops most of the dub effects in favor of a straightforward reggae cover. Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise) provides a quick interlude that also remains similar to the original track before cutting to A Day In The Life. Michael Rose and Menny More trade vocal responsibilities on this last track with singing that brings drama to the song’s opening verses and urgent humor to the second half. This closer also wavers between close reggae cover and wandering dub expression, showcasing Easy Star All Stars’ fluency with both ends of the spctrum.

While Dub Side of the Moon will no doubt retain its status as Easy Star All-Star’s greatest work and Radiodread remains a personal favorite, Easy Star’s Lonely Hearts Dub Band complements its predecessors and has arrived just in time for summer music festivals and backyard sound systems. The release is Easy Stars’ most approachable to date, an album that invites the listener to join the fun, first humming along and finally singing and dancing. While the album opens and closes with relatively lightweight tracks, it peaks with several excellent versions in the middle that will continue Easy Star’s legacy on the dub reggae scene.

Want to hear the album yourself? You can preorder Easy Star’s Lonely Hearts Dub Band from Amazon.com today and save $2 or hear it live: the band’s tour schedule is posted on their website. You can also hear the album’s singles on the Easy Star All-Stars website.

You can also find the Easy Star All Stars online:

• Easy Star All Stars MySpace page
• Easy Star All Stars on Facebook
• Easy Star All Stars on imeem
• Follow Easy Star All Stars on Twitter
• Order Easy Star’s Lonely Hearts Dub Band album from Amazon.com

See our prerelease story for more information about the Easy Star All Stars band.

What’s next for the Easy Star All-Stars? No doubt another cover of a concept album from a famous rock band. While I’ll continue to enjoy Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Dub Band, I’m more of a dubber than a straight reggae fan, so I hope they’ll follow with a slower album that gives them more room to rub a heavier dub… perhaps The Flaming Lips‘ Soft Bulletin?

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Luciano turned himself in to police on Friday at a police station at Half-Way-Tree. After spending a weekend in jail and finally being charged, Luciano was released on $60,000 bail on Monday.

2 of the policemen are still hospitalized.

Luciano’s lawyer Delano Franklyn has so far declined to comment on the events’ effects on German tour dates scheduled in May. Deejay and longtime friend Tony Rebel defended Luciano in a call with the Jamaica Gleaner, explaining that “artistes can never tell who are some of the people around, we just don’t have the time to check out everybody. We’re like safe haven for a lot of people.”

Luciano, who became known as the “Messenger” for his 1997 single, has reportedly denied any knowledge of Senior’s status as a wanted man or police involvements into his connections with criminal activities. Investigators contend that Luciano knowingly harbored Senior as part of the singer’s security team.

The charges continue a string of bad luck that has plagued the 44-year-old Rastafarian who was once nominated for a Grammy award for Best Reggae Album for his 2001 album A New Day and in 2007 received the Jamaican Order of Distinction, Jamaica’s 5th-highest civic award, for his contributions to reggae music. More recently though, Luciano split with with his manager and band and criticized his producer, Dean Fraser, for not giving him enough creative control over his 2008 album Jah Is My Navigator. On February 20th, 2009, Luciano became involved in a physical fight with his sound engineer Freckles Trench at a gas station in Kingston. Trench beat Luciano with a lead pipe, landing “Jah Messenger” in a hospital with 6 stitches in his face in the culmination of a broiling feud between the 2 artists.

Luciano is scheduled to appear in court on April 9 to face the charge, which carries a penalty of up to 6 months in prison if he is found guilty. Post your support on his MySpace page and tell him where you heard about him!

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3. Listen to Easy Star All Stars Easy Star’s Lonely Hearts Dub Band Easy Star All Stars have released an exclusive free listening...

Easy Star All-Stars are lining up to release another dub reggae hit with their reinvention of The Beatles‘ classic Lonely Hearts Club Band album. The 12-track album will be titled Easy Star’s Lonely Hearts Dub Band. The hotly-anticipated release is scheduled for April 14, 2009.

Lonely Hearts Dub Band follows Easy Star Allstars 2 earlier chart-topping dub albums: 2003′s Dub Side of the Moon (a dub reggae tribute to Pink Floyd’s psychadelic rock concept album Dark Side of the Moon) and 2006′s Radiodread (a dub version of Radiohead‘s OK Computer, another concept album). Both of the previous album were subjects of critical acclaim: Pitchfork called Dub Side of the Moon a “smashing success” and Rolling Stone magazine noted that Radiodread was “again impressive”. Dub Side of the Moon lived on Billboard’s Top Reggae Chart for over 5 years, becoming one of the most successful modern reggae albums, and Radiodread continued to impress with 18 months on the same reggae chart.

Order Easy Star’s Lonely Hearts Dub Band from Amazon.com and save $2.

After the dub reggae band’s first 2 releases, The Beatles classic was an obvious next step. Easy Star All Stars cofounder and musical director Michael Goldwasser explained that the group has “focused on re-envisioning concept albums as reggae and it’s really important that the source material works as a whole and is not just a collection of songs. So, what better to take on next than the mother of all concept albums?”

The Lonely Hearts Dub Band track listing includes:

1. Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band
2. With A Little Help From My Friends featuring Luciano
3. Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds featuring Frankie Paul
4. Getting Better
5. Fixing A Hole
6. She’s Leaving Home featuring Kirsty Rock
7. Being For The Benefit of Mr. Kite!
8. Within You Without You featuring Matisyahu
9. When I’m Sixty-Four (Extended Dub Mix) featuring Sugar Minott
10. Lovely Rita featuring Bunny Rugs and U Roy
11. God Morning Good Morning
12. Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise)
13. A Day In The Life

In true ego-free rasta tradition, Easy Star All-Stars are an organic collective of dub and reggae artists based in the New York City area. The cast of Easy Star’s Lonely Hearts Dub Band is made up of Easy Star veteran and cofounder Michael Goldwasser (AKA Michael G) on guitar, cofounder and frequent producer Victor “Ticklah” Axelrod on keyboards, Victor Rice on bass, and Patrick Dougher & Eddie Ocampo on drums and percussion. Goldwasser also handled production, arrangement, and engineering for the album. As with the collective’s previous 2 releases, Lonely Hearts will feature extensive guest vocals from the greatest names in reggae, dub, and dancehall music today, including:

• Matisyahu
• Steel Pulse
• Black Uhuru‘s Michael Rose
• Luciano
• U Roy
• Third World‘s Bunny Rugs
• English Beat‘s Ranking Roger
• Sugar Minott
• Frankie Paul
• Max Romeo
• The Mighty Diamonds

Other members of the Easy Star All Stars collective also contributed to individual tracks, including Ras I Ray on bass and vocals, Jennifer Hill on sax and flute, Buford O’Sullivan on trombone, Ivan Katz on drums, Kirsty Rock, Tamar-kali on lead and backing vocals, Junior Jazz on guitar and vocals, and Menny More on lead and backing vocals.

The Easy Stars’ publicist has confirmed that the band will release a dub reggae track for download in the near future; it will also be available here at Dub & Reggae. At our suggestion, they are also considering releasing an Easy Star ringtone similar to the Mavado ringtones released by VP Reggae.

The dub album’s release will be supported by The Easy Star All-Stars touring group. Easy Star’s collective nature leads to varied lineups of top reggae talent at different shows, which in the past have blown out shows at festivals and headlined shows around the world, including the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Italy, Chile, Poland, Turkey, Mexico, Argentina, Israel, Croatia, Ireland, Egypt, Brazil, and beyond. Unlike the studio lineup, the touring group has remained nearly unchanged, gelling through repeated performances together with Ras I Ray, Junior Jazz, Ivan Katz, Tamar-kali, Jenny Hill, and Menny More joined by Jeremy Mage on keyboards. The experience is made truly unique through a live mix by a dub engineer, usually Marcos Ferrari or Jocko Randall of John Brown’s Body.

Other members of Easy Star All Stars join the touring group wherever possible for shows, leading to surprise appearances by Ticklah and Michael G as well as reggae legend Ranking Joe, Victor Rice of the Version City All-Stars, Pam Fleming of the Burning Brass, Groove Collective’s Jay Rodriguez, singer Stephanie McKay, Antibalas’s Stuart Bogie, John Brown Body’s Josh Driscoll. This unique chemistry leads to different sounds at every show, allowing the Easy Star All-Stars to consistently deliver an inspiring, invigorating performance time and again.

Order Easy Star’s Lonely Hearts Dub Band from Amazon.com.

Easy Star All Stars‘ tour schedule is posted on their website.

Easy Star was founded by Goldwasser, Axelrod, and executives Eric Smith and Lem Oppenheimer in 1997. Like many reggae production bands in the past, The Easy Star All-Stars functioned primarily as a studio recording group until they released Dub Side of the Moon 6 years later. Dub Side’s runaway success led Goldwasser and company to form a touring group to take their unique brand of dub versions to the people. The All Stars truly live up to their name, having toured and recorded with Burning Spear, Toots and the Maytals, Jimmy Cliff, Gil Scott-Heron, The Toasters, The Meditations, Bernie Worrell, DJ Logic, MC Solaar, King Django, Antibalas, The Scofflaws, Diana King, Dennis Brown, Monty Alexander, Sister Carol, and others.

You can learn more about Easy Star All Stars online:

• Easy Star All Stars MySpace page
• Easy Star All Stars on Facebook
• Easy Star All Stars on imeem
• Follow Easy Star All Stars on Twitter
• Order Easy Star’s Lonely Hearts Dub Band album from Amazon.com

In the meantime, if you’re interested in more dub reggae covers of popular music, check out Reggae Spirits, whose album, Spirits in the Material World: A Reggae Tribute to The Police includes performances by Toots & The Maytals, The Wailing Souls, UB40‘s cofounder and former frontman Ali Campbell, Joan Osborne, Junior Reid and Lee “Scratch” Perry. 4 Spirits tracks are available on Dub & Reggae:

• One World (Not Three)
• Invisible Dub
• Synchronicity I
• Can’t Stand Losing You

We’ll keep you posted on the Easy Star All Stars release.

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