Reggae News » Album Reviews

Band of the Day (02.11.10): THE HUMAN LEAGUE

admin — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 04:58:11 +0000

Who?

Since 1977, UK synthpoppers the Human League have been making some of the best and most memorable new wave tunes to ever grace our ears. First rising to prominence for the song “Don’t You Want Me,” an ’80s classic if there ever was one. Since then, the band has been consistently releasing music with a revolving lineup and are still a staple on the music festival circuit.

And I Care Because?

- You secretly still wish it was 1981. The band’s best album, Dare!, was released that year, and listening to it today will make you realize just how well it’s held up. Plus, listening to it will give you a nice excuse to put those leg-warmers back on.

- You can thank them for the current new wave revival. Of the many new wave bands that get name-checked by some of today’s best new electronic acts, including Little Boots, Pet Shop Boys, and the Juan MacLean, all of whom constantly claim the Human League as a huge influence.

- They’re finally recording again. While the band hasn’t put out a new record since 2001’s Secrets, the Human League are finally ready to head back into the studio and capitalize on their sound re-emerging in the mainstream, signing a new record contract just two months ago. Forgive the pun, but these are the things that dreams are made of.

Stream Dare! below, buy their albums, and watch the video for “Don’t You Want Me.”

Dare! – The Human League

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1980 Reggae Movie ‘Rockers’ Still Has Cult Following

admin — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 04:52:05 +0000

Reggae and a 30-year-old movie about its Jamaican culture has become popular with a new generation.

Inner Circle includes founding members Ian and Roger Lewis, who both appeared in the 1978 film “Rockers.”

“We didn’t know the reggae sounds was so popular there now, but the movie has become like an underground cult movie in Asia,” Ian Lewis told Lake Tahoe Action after arriving in the United States from the Far East last week. “Remember that ‘Rocky Horror (Picture) Show?’ It became like a cult. ‘Rockers’ movie is like that now in Vietnam and Singapore because younger kids, they like that culture.”

The movie, filmed in six weeks in 1977 at the Kingston ghetto Trenchtown and two weeks in Ocho Rios, is an authentic representation of the Jamaican culture during that era because all the characters portrayed themselves. The loosely written and improvised storyline is a reggae version of Robin Hood.

“When we made that movie everybody was laughing because nobody was no actor,” Lewis said. “It offered up our true vibe because everybody was playing ourselves. They wasn’t trying to be no actor. So that’s the best kind of acting, just be yourself.”

Zephyr Cove real-estate agent Richard Bolen was a “post-production producer” for “Rockers.” Bolen negotiated performance rights, located 26 master recordings and raised $350,000 to finish putting the film together. He also made all the domestic and international film and record distribution deals.

“We knew what we had was good,” Bolen said. “We didn’t know we were catching the roots reggae culture at its epitome.”

While there was extreme poverty, it was also seminal period for Jamaica, which influenced cultures throughout the world.

“It was tantamount to the ’60s generation,” Bolen said. “They thought they were changing the world for a better way.”

Just a few years after “Rockers” was filmed some of reggae’s pioneers were gone. Inner Circle’s Jacob Miller was killed in a 1980 car accident, Bob Marley died of cancer in 1981 and Peter Tosh was murdered in 1987.

“Bob Marley was a living god with them,” Bolen said. “He was significant here but so much more palpable in the Caribbean and Africa and Europe. He was a genuine world spokesman of human spirit and hope, and he knew it.”

Marley did not appear in “Rockers,” but his peers did. And while Bolen was in Jamaica dealing with people who claimed to be in the movie and demanded to be paid, Peter Tosh was on tour with the Rolling Stones, often appearing onstage with a “Rockers” T-shirt.

Although Bolen was surrounded by desperate and dirt-poor Kingston residents during a three-year period, he had two guides and never felt he was in danger.
“They were guides to how the ghetto worked,” Bolen said. “They did protect me but it was more of a vibratory thing. The general consensus was we were there doing Jah works.”

Lewis understands why a new generation appreciates “Rockers.”

“They see it’s real,” he said. “It’s natural. Some of the older folks might see the weed smoking and they’re not used to that. But what they see is a real culture, and the kids like that.

“It made me happy to see something that was done 20, 30 years ago has come full circle to fruition, that people appreciate it for what it is.”
- By Tim Parsons, Lake Tahoe Action Tahoe.com

Rockers’ (1980)
Writer-director: Ted Bafaloukos
Producer: Patrick Hulsey
Cast: (Each member portrays himself) Leroy “Horsemouth” Wallace, Richard “Dirty Harry” Hall, Gregory “Jah Tooth” Isaacs, Jacob “Jakes” Miller, Robbie “Robbie” Shakespeare, Frank “Kiddus I” Dowding, Winston “Burning Spear” Rodney, Manley “Big Youth” Buchanan, Lester “Dillinger” Bullocks
Plot: Horsemouth is a drummer who lives in a Kingston ghetto. He sells and delivers records from his motorcycle, which is stolen by gangsters. The movie begins as a loose interpretation of Vittorio de Sica’s “The Bicycle Thief” and turns into a reggae interpretation of the story of Robin Hood.

“Rockers” soundtrack: (Side one)
1. “We ‘A’ Rockers,” Inner Circle
2. “Money Worries,” the Maytones
3. “Police and Thieves,” Junior Murvin
4. “Books of Rules,” The Heptones
5. “Stepping Razor,” Peter Tosh
6. “Tenement Yard,” Jacob Miller (Inner Circle)
7. “Fade Away,” Junior Byles
(Side two)1. “Rockers,” Bunny Wailer
2. “Slave Master,” Gregory Isaacs
3. “Man in the Street,” Rockers All Stars
4. “Graduation in Zion,” Kiddus I
5. “Jah No Dead,” Burning Spear (Winston Rodney)
6. “Satta Massagana,” Third World
7. “Natty Take Over,” Justin Hines & the Dominoes

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Essential Reggae Albums: Buju Banton ‘Til Shiloh’

admin — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 22:53:39 +0000

1993’s Voice of Jamaica was a stellar set, an aural collage of the island, with its swirl of diverse styles, sounds and themes. Bringing dancehall to the wider world, that album was a revelation, and to attempt to better it would have been futile. And so, Buju Banton didn’t try, instead he moved in a new direction. After the completion of Voice of Jamaica, two of the Banton’s friends were killed; their murders prompting him to re-evaluate his own life, leading to his conversion to Rastafarianism, and bringing to an end his glorification of the gun. These life-changing events are reflected throughout much of ‘Til Shiloh, which proves a much more introspective set than anything heard from Banton before. This is most evident on the haunting sufferer’s song “Untold Stories,” as Banton reflects on the world around him, beautifully accompanied by a gentle rhythm and Glen Browne’s evocative acoustic guitar. But Jah now sustains him, prompting the artist to open the album with the brief a cappella psalm, “Shiloh,” then launching into “Til I’m Laid to Rest,” which revisits the sufferer’s theme, but intertwines it with an homage to Africa and his faith in the promised land. Still, Banton has not yet found peace, and his inner turmoil is at its rawest on “Murderer.” Written in the aftermath of the aforementioned killings, Banton struggles with his grief and fierce desire for vengeance; all else pales before this most emotionally powerful of songs. It’s “Not an Easy Road,” as Banton vividly relates on that song, and he has been left vulnerable. Still, he opens his soul on “Wanna Be Loved,” and exposes his loneliness on “What Ya Gonna Do” joined by Wayne Wonder. “Complaint” has Banton toasting over this fabulous Garnett Silk number, praising Jah and scattering the heathens before him. “Chuck It So” takes a similar stance, as Banton takes on a Big Man, with the 2 Friends Crew sweetening his ferocious assault. It’s a heavy-hitting album, with only “Hush Baby Hush,” a jubilant version of the 1960 classic “Stay,” adding a lighter note to the proceedings. Musically, however, this is a gentler album than its predecessor, although still very much in a dancehall style. Another masterpiece.

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Morgan Heritage ‘The Journey Thus Far’ Review

admin — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 16:53:18 +0000

The journey began for Morgan Heritage with their first performance in Jamaica in 1992 on the opening night of Reggae Sunsplash. Their precocious musicianship and assured stage presence generated such excitement, they were invited to perform on Sunsplash’s Saturday night finale. The years that followed were truly remarkable. Morgan Heritage has firmly stamped their place in the Reggae World, with numerous hit singles and several top shelf albums to their credit.

Their latest release ‘The Journey Thus Far’ showcases the finely honed modern roots identity that has made Morgan Heritage one of reggae’s most enduringly successful acts. It’s a compilation of the group’s finest recordings to date, plus two previously unreleased tracks.

The journey begins with 5 tracks produced by the legendary Bobby ‘Digital’ Dixon for Digital-B Productions. Protect Us Jah, a bended- knee supplication to the most high, and Let’s Make Up, a bubbling, lover’s rock ballad featuring Gramps and Una in tandem, appear from 1997’s ‘Protect Us Jah’ album, followed by 3 tunes from 1999’s ‘Don’t Haffi Dread’ including the anthemic title track, Reggae Bring Back Love, and New Time, New Sign.

Next comes the empowering Liberation on the self-produced Mt. Zion riddim from the album ‘Morgan Heritage Family and Friends Volume 1. The classic, Dean Fraser produced, Down By the River, followed by the self -produced Jah Seed and Meskal Square come next via their 4th album, 2001’s ‘More Teachings’.

2003’s ‘Three In One’ is showcased next with the lovers track She’s Still Loving Me and two more Digital B tunes. A Man is Still a Man is a rocking tune with a timeless message and Jump Around(Remix) will definitely make you want to do just that, although the original version would have suited this collection better than the remix. ‘Three In One’ is probably their best effort to date and honestly could almost stand alone as a greatest hits album. So, needless to say, there could have easily been 10 other tracks from the album included in The Journey Thus Far. Tunes like A Who Dem, The Truth, Everything is Still Everything, Judge Not, Works To Do, Nice Up U Medi, and Falling Race, to name a few.

The journey continues with 3 boom tunes from 2006’s ‘Full Circle’. The Donovan Bennett -produced Tell Me How Come is a wicked denunciation of the injustices that continue to plague Jamaica and the world, while Your Best Friend, on Bennett’s iconic ‘Drop Leaf’ riddim, earned cheers from women everywhere. Nestled between these gems is the Robert Livingston- produced I’m Coming Home. Gramps takes the lead in testifying about the loneliness that accompanies life on the road.

2008’s ‘Mission In Progress’ is represented with the tunes Brooklyn and Jamaica, produced by Shane Brown, Love You Right with production handled well by fellow artist Singing Melody, and the classic boom shot produced by Kemar McGregor, Nothing to Smile About. Again, there are at least a few other tunes that could have been included such as Yute Dem Share, Faithful, and Youths Today.

The set closes with two previously unreleased tracks. Kurt Riley produces a nice, one drop, love song on Here To Stay and Frenchie, of the U.K.’s Maximum Sound, lends his support on Guards Up, another hard-hitting commentary about the violence in Jamaica.

Overall, ‘The Journey Thus Far’ is a solid representation of Morgan Heritage’s body of work. True, there are a few question marks regarding selection here, however, let’s blame that on the fact that there was just too much quality work from Morgan Heritage over the years for VP records to choose from and that’s definitely not a bad thing. ‘The Journey Thus Far’ is a great album and will make a nice addition to any collection. If you’re left wanting more than their 2003 release ‘Three In One’ is highly recommended!!

Track Listing:

1. Protect Us Jah

2. Let’s Make Up

3. Don’t Haffi Dread

4. Reggae Bring Back Love

5. New Time, New Sign

6. Liberation

7. Down By The River

8. Jah Seed

9. Meskal Square

10. She’s Still Loving Me

11. A Man Is Still A Man

12. Jump Around (Remix)

13. Tell Me How Come

14. I’m Coming Home

15. Your Best Friend (With L.M.S.)

16. Brooklyn And Jamaica

17. Love You Right

18. Nothing To Smile About

19. Here To Stay

20. Guards Up

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Walk this Way – Part 3: Music’s Best & Worst Fashion Trends

admin — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 16:01:40 +0000

By Anna Zerkidou

Whether we like it or not, we shamelessly assess every musician’s accessories. Some of us may even take it a step further, and incorporate a part of their outfit into our own. This can either be a good idea, a good idea copied by everybody, or a tragic, idiotic endevor. Let’s have a look at some wardrobe ”items” that have spread, for better and for worse from the stage into the world of fashion.

1. Headbands

MGMT stopped wearing headbands a long time ago, but indie kids simply decided not to notice. Boys and girls still insist on placing them around their heads, not realizing how easily they can be turned in a murder weapon to be used against them. Headbands were and are everywhere, except the only place they should be by now: the trashcan.

2. Black is the new black

What do Jay-Z and Glasvegas have in common? Their love of total black. Nothing will ever replace this color, no matter what the magazines may tell you. It doesn’t age and it doesn’t discriminate; the only problem is that it tends to fade out so we have to be on the lookout for constant replacements.

3. Facial hair

Beards and moustaches are not just beards and moustaches. They signify a new race created to fight metrosexuals. They are called retrosexuals, and they will take smooth-skinned prisoners. Boys let facial hair grow away, grow wild, and just grow. According to reports, the female population remains torn on the issue.

4. Converce All Stars

(photograph by XandriaNirvana)

One day someone decided that Converce All Stars should be fashionable again, and who better to advertise them than musicians. As a thought it’s not so bad, but what started as a marketing idea evolved into a stampede. They’re everywhere; watching us behind bushes, stepping on us at shows, kicking our shins. But that’s not even the biggest issue. The biggest issue is that they’re some of the most uncomfortable and short-lived shoes we’ve ever tortured our feet with.

5. Red Hair

Within the last years, red hair became the it thing in the music world. Florence, Jenny Lewis, A Fine Frenzy, and many more have waved their fiery hair and caused female envy and male delirium. Many were the girls that committed social suicide while trying to get that perfect hue of red that makes people wonder if they’re natural redheads or not. Fact remains, blondes have now been officially annihilated.

6. Nu-fluo

Nu-rave (gah!) is responsible for some good things, such as Klaxons. But it also can be charged for indirectly encouraging youth to go glow. Fluorescent underwear, glowsticks, bracelets, headbands, lipsticks, condoms, and so on. Basically, if you could put it on you, it most certainly would come in a fluo version. And if you would actually have sex with someone that’s sporting a condom that glows in the dark, you should be tazed into a phosphorescent oblivion.

7. Eyeliner

What started as a vamp thing, turned into a goth thing, and then rolled down the emo hill (south of Twilightville, if anyone’s interested) crying with joy. Gone are the days of the dark side of the eyeliner and its alluring qualities. Emo fans smudged their faces with it and killed a long-standing goth tradition, and for that alone they should be punished in a way that’s painful and yet not enjoyable.

8. Louis Vuitton bags

Simply put, they are the fashion equivalent of the The Emperor’s New Clothes. Can nobody see that they are just brown leather bags on which someone repeatedly threw up the Louis Vuitton logo???? And what do they have to do with hip hop?! Anyone???

9. Skinny jeans

Not only are they a cringing cliche of the indie world, but they also complicate everyday functions, such as bending over to pick up your coins, jumping over fences, dancing, and so on. Not to mention that their elastic side of things makes them loose color 3 times faster than regular jeans.

All that said, you just can’t get me out of mine. Seriously, you can’t, the whole operation requires two sets of hands and pliers.

10. Irony

”I was being ironic”; a generation’s excuse about everything from ridiculous hats to a flood of lumberjack shirts to gigantic glasses that don’t even have lenses to T-shirts with, you guessed it, ironic slogans. It is a thine line between ironic and moronic, and we are standing so far away from said line that we can’t even see it.

READ PART 2: MOG’s 5 Favorite Models Turned Musicians

READ PART 1: MOG’s 5 Favorite Musicians Turned Models

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2009 Best Reggae Album Grammy Nominees Announced

admin — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 15:55:15 +0000

Despite heavy criticism and pressure from gay rights groups while on his U.S. tour this summer, nominations for the 52nd Annual Grammy Awards were announced earlier this evening, and controversial dancehall / reggae artiste Buju Banton heads the list of nominees for Best Reggae Album.Here is the complete list of nominees for Best Reggae Album (Vocal or Instrumental) for the 52nd Annual Grammy Awards:

* Rasta Got Soul – Buju Banton [Gargamel Music, Inc.]
* Brand New Me – Gregory Isaacs [Tad's Record]
* Awake – Julian Marley [Ghetto Youths/Tuff Gong/Universal Republic]
* Mind Control — Acoustic – Stephen Marley [Ghetto Youths/Tuff Gong/Universal Republic] * Imperial Blaze – Sean Paul [VP/Atlantic]

The 52nd Annual Grammy Awards will be held on Sunday, January 31, 2010, at Staples Center in Los Angeles, and will be broadcast live on CBS television from 8–11:30 p.m.

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Duane Stephenson Telling His Own Story

admin — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 10:52:19 +0000

Singer Duane Stephenson is one of those artistes quietly making an impact internationally and who perhaps doesn’t yet get the type of ratings he deserves locally. But he aint mad at anybody. Duane is simply doing what he does best, “Music”, he says with that reassuring smile.
Still basking in the success of his debut solo album project for VP Records, August Town, the former member of boy group, To-Issis, is looking to release his sophomore album by February 2010.
“This will be the second of a two-album deal for VP,” he explained. “With the success of August Town, which was one of the best selling albums for VP for 2008, there is the temptation to duplicate it, but we are actually doing things a little different,” Duane said.

Among the big tunes on August Town were the title track, which went number one in most of the Caribbean islands, except Trinidad, where it peaked at number 3; Ghetto Pain and the cover of the Tyrone Taylor hit single, Cottage In Negril.
The working title for the soon-to-be-released CD is Black Gold, and Duane is quite excited about this project.
“It’s coming together very well,” he enthused. “It’s versatile, but like August Town, it’s still anchored in roots reggae, which is my true love. However, over the years during my travels, I have become more exposed to world music, and have learnt what other people like, so that influence is definitely there. And we are also deliberately giving it some youth music, hence the decision to use Christopher Birch as one of the producers,” he stated.
Duane noted that he believes in what he calls “intelligent music”, whatever the genre. “Birch is one of those dancehall producers who keeps his things on a certain level. You will never see something half-baked out there with Birch’s name on it,” he said.
Among the other producers on the album are Duane himself and, of course, Dean Fraser.
Black Gold will have collaborations with Tanya Stephens, Jah Cure, Jimmy and Tarrus Riley and possibly one more artiste.
It was in summer 2004 that Duane embarked on his solo journey, having come to the realisation that after being with a group for almost 10 years, he needed to chart his own destiny. And he has no regrets.
“It’s been great so far. I have surpassed many of the things I hoped to accomplish. I really can’t complain,” he said frankly.
He has been closely aligned to Dean Fraser and has opened for Tarrus Riley on occasions. “But I have been doing a lot of shows by myself as well,” he told the Observer. “Lots of times Tarrus is in one part of the world and I am in another,” he explained.
Increasingly popular within the Caribbean, he lists a show in the Dutch-speaking island of Suriname of this year as one of his most memorable. “They wanted me to come back three weeks after that event, but that felt like I would be exploiting them, so we set the date for next January instead.”
Duane recently performed in Amsterdam at a concert headlined by Shabba Ranks, and that too, he said was a moment. “The promoters expected 5000 people at the Heineken Centre in Amsterdam, but over 8000 people turned out and they stayed till the last note. It was awesome,” he recalled. -Jamaica Observer

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Killing Cupid: 7 V-Day Mixes to Match Any Mood

admin — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 04:59:01 +0000

Music: Joxley, Contrabandwidth, Tynansanger, Amber, Drewfonts, Gcincinnati, Detroitbob, Dale

Words: Joxley, Contrabandwidth, Gcinncinnati

The New Year has receded into the distance, and the saccharine sentiment of Valentines Day is now upon us. For some, it’s time to smother their lovers with overpriced chocolates, petrol-station flowers, and truly impractical underwear. But here at MOG, we understand things are more complicated than that. Relationships usually don’t sync up with slogans. Love is strange. Love is complex. Love isn’t always what you want. So, it’s in that spirit that we’ve created a series of listenable Valentines Playlists for every eventuality.

1. You’re not my girlfriend, but… [Listen]
You know how it is sometimes: you bump into someone for coffee and a chat, and before you know it, you’re bumping uglies. Then you are seeing them three times a week and holding hands. But you are not a couple. Or at least you’re not going to admit that. Even if its more than slightly true. Feat. Belle & Sebastian, Bright Eyes, Feist, Arctic Monkeys

2. The Femme Fatale [Listen]
Who hasn’t ever been in love with someone from a distance, or even up close, who could just be your ruin. So here’s to the ladies with seductive and destructive impulses that might just take us down in flames with them. They might rip your heart and out stamp all over it, but you’ll never hold it against them. Feat. Nico, Lou Reed, the Velvet Underground.

3. So wrong. but so right… [Listen]
You know it isn’t going to work, but somehow it does. You get caught in the moment and everything seems to go against your initial impulses. But why does it feel so great? Feat. Outkast, Le Tigre, Bad Brains

4. Screw love, let’s just screw
Because sometimes all you need is a moment of passion. Nothing more, nothing less. Just pure physical, animal attraction. You just need to get down and dirty and you don’t even care about having a cuddle afterwards. But you don’t just want to do it once, so here are three sultry sextastic playlists for you delectation and delight…

Aww, baby, you know I lust you, Right? [Listen], Drawers Dropping Beats [Listen], Drawers Dropping Beats 2 [Listen]

5. It’s Over [Listen]
All good things come to an end…. and so do some terrible ones. But whether you are feeling lonely or liberating, want to mope or move on it always helps to have some music to get you through that post-relationship haze.

6. On The Rebound [Listen]
We’ve all done it. Heading back to the same old safe bet. Someone you can rely on, but won’t get too attached to. But its never quite the same as it was, is it? Feat Tom Waits, Bob Dylan, Pink Floyd, Marvin Gaye.

7. Love and Marriage [Listen]
But who are we to be cynical? Sometimes it does work out, and sometimes you do get that happy ever after. Sure it’s probably not the same as the Romcoms and the greetings cards suggest. And those lovey-dovey couples will forever get on the nerves of bitter singletons. But how can you argue with happiness? Feat. Frank Sinatra, David Bowie, The Cure

So now hopefully whatever or whoever :-p you are doing this Valentines Day MOG has provided the perfect accompaniment.

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Band of the Day (02.12.10): SADE

admin — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 04:57:52 +0000

Who?

Formed in 1983, many people confuse Sade to be solely Nigerian-born singer Sade Adu, but the R&B legends are actually a full-fledged UK band. First rising to prominence with the monster hit “Smooth Operator,” Sade have released some of their genre’s best songs and albums, though their output has been sporadic over the last twenty years, releasing only three. The most recent, Soldier of Love, came out this week, their first in ten years.

And I Care Because?

- It’s a different strain of R&B. In an era where extroverted, kitchen-sink R&B is dominating the airwaves, it’s a good thing that Sade came back to remind listeners of the other half, the sorrowful, warm, scaled-back R&B that projects just as much emotion, if not more.

- She’s still one smooth operator. Adu’s voice is something of a secret weapon: you might not go gaga over it at first, but it sure will put you in a lull. It’s comforting, stunning, and, ahem, smooth in a way that few can imitate, and it’s one of the main things that make Sade such a draw in the first place.

- Be thankful while they’re here. Let’s repeat it: this is Sade’s first album in a decade, and there was an eight year wait for the one that came before it. It’s not laziness, though, just consistency… each one of their records has so much thought and care put into it that it’s always going to be something special, yet another collection that makes the case that the album isn’t dead.

Stream Soldier of Love below, buy their albums, and watch the video for the title track.

Soldier of Love – Sade

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VP Records Re-strategising for 2010

admin — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 04:51:36 +0000

FOR almost 20 years, VP Records has ruled the dancehall roost from its Queens, New York, headquarters. But changing music-industry trends and artiste flight made 2009 a challenging year for the all-reggae powerhouse.
VP’s marketing manager, Randy Chin, blamed the decline in compact disc sales for sluggish figures. The growth of the digital market, he said, made things even more complicated.
“The digital market is doing well but the problem is, the offset from the drop-off in CD sales is not compensating for the increase in digital,” Chin told The Sunday Gleaner.
“That’s the crux of the problem with everyone in media today, whether it is the film, print or music industry,” he added. “The whole transition that’s going on on the digital side is reverberating and everyone is trying to find their footing.”
Below-par performances
Chin would not discuss the below-par performances of albums by ‘brand’ artistes like Mavado and Tarrus Riley. Given the unstable climate in which their music was released, he still believes their figures are encouraging.
According to sales tracker Nielsen-SoundScan, Mavado’s much-touted Mr Brooks … A Better Tomorrow was released in March but sold just over 14,000 copies. Riley’s highly anticipated Contagious set hit record stores in August but has barely trickled past the 4,000-unit mark.
VP also got a double jolt with the departure of Lady Saw and Tanya Stephens, two of its stalwart acts. Chin declined to comment on what impact that may have on the company.
He says VP is excited about its foray into publishing. The label’s stocks in that field soared when they purchased British independent company Greensleeves Records for £3.1 million in early 2008.
The sale guaranteed VP ownership of Greensleeves Publishing, the most lucrative in reggae with big-selling songs, such as Oh Carolina by Shaggy and Sean Paul’s Get Busy. The Greensleeves catalogue has nearly 500 titles, including quality albums by roots acts like Dr Alimantado, Barrington Levy and Eek-A-Mouse.
Chin said VP has signed new acts, including Etana, Elephant Man and Busy Signal to Greensleeves Publishing. Company and artiste, he stressed, stand to profit tremendously from this deal.
Another area VP plans to concentrate on is touring, once the most effective form of exposure for reggae acts. Chin says while music videos and appearances on high-profile cable and television shows help, live shows can still do the trick.
Two of the most successful reggae acts in the US this year have been the American bands John Brown’s Body and Rebelution. Tireless touring has done wonders for both.
“It’s the one area I think we can improve on and we have been emphasising with the artistes that they need to go on tour,” Chin said. “The Internet has made the music more available but at the end of the day, people still want to see the artistes.”
VP Records was founded in 1979 in Queens, New York, by Chin’s parents, Vincent and Pat. Vincent operated the successful Randy’s label in downtown Kingston during the 1960s and 1970s before relocating to the United States.
Strong-selling albums
VP hit its stride in the 1990s as the leading producer of dancehall music in the US. They had strong-selling albums by Beres Hammond, Garnet Silk, Luciano, Freddie McGregor and Beenie Man.
The latter’s 1998 album, Many Moods Of Moses, contained the song Who Am I, which was a runaway smash in the US. It set the tone for a fruitful period for VP which distributed platinum-selling (over one million units) albums by Sean Paul, and songs by singer Wayne Wonder and the deejay-singer duo of Tanto Metro and Devonte, that made the Billboard magazine pop charts.
Chin says VP will be churning out new albums in the first quarter of 2010, one of them being Escape To Babylon by Italian singer Alberosie.
There will also be projects from old-school singer Sanchez, Etana and Romain Virgo. -Gleaner

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