Carnival Kingdom

Carnival Kingdom, one of the main events at the upcoming Summer of Soca Festival, is the ultimate live music fete. It has an incredible line up of top-tier soca artists and bands: Machel Montano, Patrice Roberts, Nailah Blackman, Lyrikal, and Skinny Fabulous, as well as a surprise guest performer.

In addition to the aforementioned artists, several international deejays are also on the program. This all goes down on Saturday, August 3rd at Markham Fairgrounds (10801 McCowan Road) in Markham, Ontario, Canada. Click here for tickets.

Experience “The Soul Of Richie Stephens” On July 26

One of the hardest-working artists in reggae-dancehall, Richie Stephens, is gearing up to release his first ever full-soul music album on Friday, July 26, 2024. With well over thirty (30) LPs already in his catalog, this project, dubbed The Soul of Richie Stephens, is exceptional because it is the manifestation of several requests he has gotten over the years from both his fans and colleagues within the industry.

He explains it as follows: “what inspired this album is that for years and years people have been saying that I have the type of voice that they think I should do a soul album. And I’ve been ignoring that for several years, until I decided to do it because I’ve come of age. I’m fully experienced in a lot of things, production, songwriting, and all these things, that makes me more comfortable to do a full album of soul.”

He goes on to say: “it’s a soul album with a Jamaican touch. So all of the songs are original songs and some of the songs I’m singing in Jamaican dialect, so it’s more unique like this.”Stephens wrote all the songs, and he is credited for approximately 80% of the production, with most of the work being done at his Pot of Gold studio in Kingston, Jamaica.

The public has already gotten a taste of three of the tracks presented on The Soul of Richie StephensHeart Beat, a tune that was first heard on the Soul Food RiddimBassline Whine, a grown-folk rub-a-dub vibe, and Family & Friends, a feel-good track that features Bounty Killer and Wilful Skilful. An official video was just released for the latter, and all three songs are already enjoying heavy rotation!

There will be an album listening party at Footprints Cafe (5 Belmont Road) in New Kingston on the release date, Friday, July 26. The starting time is 8:00 p.m., and there is no cover charge.

Buju Banton’s ‘Overcomer’ U.S. Tour

In a few weeks, Buju Banton will embark on a fourteen-city arena tour in the United States, dubbed Overcomer. It starts on the 23rd of August in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and ends on the 17th of November in Brooklyn, New York. Below are all the confirmed dates and locations as of this writing.

Aug. 23 — Ft. Lauderdale, FL — Amerant Bank Arena
Aug. 25 — Tampa, FL — Amalie Arena
Aug. 27 — Washington, DC — Capital One Arena
Aug. 30 — Boston, MA — TD Garden
Sept. 1 — Philadelphia, PA — Wells Fargo Center
Sept. 6 — Hartford, CT — XL Center
Sept. 8 — Atlanta, GA — State Farm Arena
Sept. 12 — Houston, TX — Toyota Center
Sept. 13 — Dallas, TX — American Airlines Center
Sept. 15 — Phoenix, AZ — Footprint Center
Sept. 18 — Inglewood, CA — Intuit Dome
Sept. 23 — San Jose, CA — SAP Center
Sept. 29 — Chicago, IL — Allstate Arena
Nov. 17 — Brooklyn, NY — Barclays Center

Moe’s Alley Presents Etana & Estrella On Aug. 7th

On Wednesday, August 7th, Moe’s Alley will host Jamaica’s strong one, Etana, alongside Salinas’ very own Renee Estrella, who also goes by just Estrella. The ladies and their respective band mates will perform in front of a twenty-one and older crowd. 

This show will commence at 7:00 p.m. local time, and there will be a US$25.00 entrance fee at the door. That said, early bird tickets can be purchased now via ticketweb for only US$20.00. Moe’s Alley is located at 1535 Commercial Way in Santa Cruz, California.

Kimiela ‘Candy’ Isaacs Wins The 2024 Jamaica Festival Song Competition

Visually impaired singer-songwriter, vocal coach, and musical director Kimiela ‘Candy’ Isaacs is the winner of the 2024 Jamaica Festival Song Competition.

Her song, One Jamaica, which is already trending across the island, is not only catchy, but it is also very effective in the way it presents the Caribbean nation. If you have not yet heard it, click here or on the image above to watch the official video, and remember to like, comment, and share.

Jr. Demus, Lynval Jackson, Ed Robinson & Kendra Shine On The “Organic Reggae Vol. 1” Compilation

Although every song on the Organic Reggae Vol. 1 compilation is outstanding, four have been getting more attention than the others: Junior Demus Lover BoyLynval Jackson‘s I’m Your ManEd Robinson‘s EyesOn You, and Kendra Glenn‘s 2 Of Us. The favorable response to these four tracks may be due to the fact they were all shared as singles prior to the album being released in May of this year. 

On her song, 2 Of UsKendra Glenn, a native of Chicago, Illinois, who now resides in Minneapolis, Minnesota, gave a soulful performance on a steady one-drop reggae rhythm. She talks about how good being in love is, especially when both parties are truly committed to the union. Interestingly, Lynval Jackson, aka Golden Voice, seemingly responds to Kendra on his record, I’m Your Man. On the track, he made an impassioned plea, telling his love interest that he wanted to be her man. 

For his part, Ed Robinson sings to a lady with whom he is infatuated, proclaiming his admiration for her. And finally, hardcore dancehall deejay Junior Demus uses his distinctive voice and style to announce that he is a rude boy, all while bashing men who say they’re ‘lover boys.’

The Organic Reggae Vol. 1 LP also has music by Trevor Byfield, Clive Matthews, Diamond Kelly, King Everald, Leroy Smart, Thrilla Blacks, and Don Mafia. It was produced by Norris Roberts, CEO and owner of GStar Musik, and it can be streamed and downloaded on all major music platforms. 

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD “ORGANIC REGGAE VOL. 1”

Music Review: Chezidek “Action Man”

All these so-called artists that are polluting the atmosphere with their toxic, reckless, derogatory lyrics should check out Chezidek‘s most recently shared single, Action Man, and learn how to skillfully deliver a bad man tune without contaminating the minds of the listeners.

The Saint Ann, Jamaica, native started the track by singing such a beautiful slur in his head voice that what followed, as far as the lyrical content and change in tone, was surprising. On a faultlessly composed reggae rhythm, Chezidek issues a warning to the uninformed ones who would interfere with the wrong person, i.e., an action man, only to end up with them having to deal with the grave repercussions that follow.

One of the most captivating things about this record is the way in which Chezidek uses various metaphors to get his point across. A personal favorite is “wasp nest dem a play wid and dem no know; cyaa test dem will bury yu right where you grow.”

The equally impressive instrumentals on which he performs are credited to The Ligerians, a group of musicians and producers based in Europe. Action Man went live on streaming platforms on July 5th, courtesy of Irie Ites Records. This is an authentic roots tune that should be on every reggae lover’s playlist.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD “ACTION MAN”