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 Stephens: Heart Beat, a tune that was first heard on the Soul Food Riddim, Bassline 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.