On Sunday, August 15th, Grammy nominated reggae artist Etana will do a live set at The Cabooze, which is located at 917 Cedar Avenue South in Minneapolis, Minnesota. She will be supported by The Rawsoul Rebels.
Entrance to this event, which is being presented by Trinny Cee Productions, is $15 USD. Click here for tickets.
On Friday, August 6th, reggae royalty Jimmy Cliff blessed us all with a beautiful new song titled Human Touch. The soothing record is all about the importance of in-person contact, while appreciating how social media have been able to keep us connected, especially through the pandemic.
The audio release was also accompanied by the official visuals. Click here or on the image above to check it out and remember to like, comment and share.
In honor of Jamaica’s 59th Independence, the Jamaica Pennsylvania Association will present a One Love Bob Marley Tribute Concert this Sunday, August 15, at Philadelphia City Hall (1400 John F Kennedy Boulevard) in Philadelphia, PA.
There will be live performances by Bushman, Ras Shiloh, Rasta Biggs, Ras Jem and others; with Fancy Cat doing hosting duties. Click here for tickets.
Caribbean Reggae Fever is a live music event featuring Caribbean inspired bands, solo artists, DJ sets and food. This year’s staging will be on Saturday, August 21, at Millennium Place (21 Hales Street) in Coventry, England.
The musical lineup includes JC Lodge, Wayne Wonder, Tippa Irie, Peter Hunnigale, Ossie Gad, Claire Angel and more. The live performances will be preceded by a Caribbean carnival procession which kicks off at 11 AM local time. Get tickets and additional info HERE.
On Friday, August 6th, Xana Romeo, the daughter of reggae legend Max Romeo, released her album The Roots Of X. The project has nine tracks, with guest appearances by Azizzi Romeo, Addis Pablo and Max Romeo; and it comes to us courtesy of the Charmax Music and Xana Romeo Music labels.
As one would expect from the off-spring of an established reggae artist, this record is professionally produced from start to finish. And as the name implies, it is indeed 100% authentic roots reggae music that’s loaded with both inspirational and conscious messages. Xana uses each song to highlight several important, and in some cases controversial topics.
She appropriately begins the album with Holy (track 1); which is a three minutes and thirty-nine seconds declaration about who she is and to whom she belongs. Xana then takes listeners to Africa on track number two, as she sings about the many issues and challenges still facing the continent. The Roots Of X has something for everyone: herb smokers, lovers, ghetto youths, lost souls etc.
That being said, there is an underline consistent thread running throughout the entire record, and that is one of righteousness. Those familiar with Xana‘s previously released single, Born In Sin (which is now #9 on the album) should know that most of the songs have that same energy, feel and vibe.
Usually when I write these reviews I would select a couple of tracks that really standout to me and then I would go into details about those particular songs. However, in this case I think that all the songs are really good and each should be listened to, digested and appreciated for what it is.
If I had to rate The Roots Of X out of 10 I would give it 12. Therefore, if you love reggae music I strongly recommend that you buy this record and add it to your playlist. See track listing below.
Download and stream The Roots Of X from your preferred music platform: https://lnk.to/XanaRomeo
As Jamaicans all over the world are celebrating both the country’s emancipation and independence this week, they are also glued to their devices (traditional and social media) to watch the Tokyo Olympics, an event that is seeing the nation’s athletes break all sorts of records as they make history.
That being said, Jamaicans at home and in the diaspora are justifiably bursting with pride, and as such, radio and television stations have placed songs and videos that highlight all things Jamaica in heavy rotation. One such video is Derrick Scott‘s God Answer Prayer. The visuals were first added to various entertainment programs on TV in June, which is when it was released. Last week, as Jamaica started to get a lot of attention at the Olympic Games, the video’s TV rotation increased dramatically.
The song itself, God Answer Prayer, is particularly unique to Jamaicans, as it is inspired by Neville Martin‘s My Leader Born Yah, the unofficial anthem for one of the island’s major political party. Scott, who is a committed Christian, decided to give Martin‘s song a make-over by emphasizing his love for Jamaica and his belief that the island is truly blessed and covered by God.
This Friday, August 6th, all Jamaicans at home and abroad are encouraged to tune into TVJ at 9 PM (local time) for the Virtual Independence Jam. This is basically an online concert that will feature artists like Nadine Sutherland, Mighty Diamonds, Christopher Martin and Stacious.
In addition to the live performances there will also be a ‘tune for tune’ clash between Ricky Trooper and Black Scorpio. Additional music will also be provided by Collin Hines and Donovan Dacres; with Jenny Jenny doing hosting duties.
