Spearhead’s Say Hey (I Love You)

October 5th, 2008 by Pete

Infectious riddims from Michael Franti & Spearhead’s brand new record, All Rebel Rockers. M’ lady and I heard this on Sirius Jam On yesterday, and it was immediately flagged and tagged for later consumption. The album was produced by Sly & Robbie, the veteran reggae production team (Black Uhuru, Yellowman, Peter Tosh, Gregory Isaacs, and many more), and recorded mostly in Kingston, Jamaica.

Irie!

Michael Franti & Spearhead - Say Hey (I Love You) [mp3, featuring Cherine Anderson]

Buy

Links: Official Site | Watch the Video for “Say Hey (I Love You)” | MySpace

© Photo credit: Mike Schreiber

Posted in Reggae, Roots Rock | No Comments »

Digging the Virtual Crates: Shaggy

June 3rd, 2008 by Michael


Shaggy – Boombastic (Sting remix) (Video)

A classic summertime track… I’m working on a summer jam Ickmix and this one is definitely included. Stay tuned!

Shaggy – Boombastic (MP3)

Buy Boombastic: Amazon | iTunes

Posted in Reggae, Video | No Comments »

Review: Citizen Cope with Alice Smith, Live at the Marquee Theater

March 30th, 2008 by Pete

While a mass of humanity took in Fergie’s (disappointing? gasp!) set across Town Lake at the Tempe Music Festival, we smart ones were filing into the Marquee Theater to take in D.C. / Brooklyn artist Citizen Cope. It was billed on the venue’s web site as “an evening with no support”. But I was pleasantly surprised when a tall, slender female figure took the stage at 8:10 and tore the roof of the joint with a short four song set…

Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in Local, Reggae, Rock, Soul | 1 Comment »

Meanwhile at Bob Marley’s

March 23rd, 2008 by Pete

This tour guide at Bob Marley’s estate will brighten your day. Trust me…

Posted in Reggae, Video | No Comments »

Meet Tiken Jah Fakoly

December 16th, 2007 by Pete

It’s news stories like this that jump out at me and remind me about the power of music. Tiken Jah Fakoly is a very popular reggae artist in Africa. He’s also very outspoken and apt to speak his mind - qualities that those in power aren’t too fond of in western Africa (and the rest of the world for that matter).

Tiken was born in Côte d’Ivoire, but makes his home now in Mali. Since the early 90’s, his brand of politically and socially active reggae has made him an icon to the oppressed people of the region, and throughout Africa.

Last week, at a concert in Dakar, Senegal, Fakoly spoke out against Senegal President Abdoulaye Wade: “Mr president, if you love Senegal, leave power!” He then launched into “Quitte Le Pouvoir”, which means “leave power”.

The president’s critics say Senegal’s once-bright democratic credentials have been tarnished by Wade’s political maneuvers to position his son to succeed him, the detention without trial of critical journalists and the diminishing power of parliament.

Here was the government’s response to Fakoly’s statements in the concert:

“Following the discourteous statements by the artist Tiken Jah Fakoly regarding our government, the artist is declared persona non grata in Senegal,” read an Interior Ministry ruling broadcast on state television. [Reuters story]

They kicked him out of the country!

I admire people like Tiken. It takes a shitload of courage to speak your mind in many parts of the world. In the struggling nations of west Africa, Tiken Jah Fakoly is one of those leading the charge, risking his neck for the right to stand up for what he believes in.

Tiken Jah Fakoly - Quitte Le Pouvoir (mp3) - from Coup de Gueule

Tiken Jah’s Official Site

Posted in Reggae, World | No Comments »

RIP Lucky Dube: 1964-2007

October 19th, 2007 by Pete

The world loses another great musician. In a senseless & random act of violence, South African reggae star Lucky Dube was shot and killed outside of Johannesburg yesterday in an attempted carjacking - in front of his children, mind you. What a wonderful world we live in…

Lucky isn’t too well known here in the U.S. (at least on the mainstream side of things), but on the other side of the world, the man is HUGE (including Seychelles, where my wife is from).

RIP Lucky Dube.

Lucky Dube - Together as One (mp3)

From his official site….

Lucky Dube was survived by his new wife Zanele and his 7 children Bongi, Nonkululeko, Thokozani, Laura, Siyanda, Philani and his brand new three-month old baby Melokuhle.

Should you wish to send a message of condolence to Lucky’s family, please email Lucky@gallo.co.za or fax on +27 (0) 11 340 9471

Other blogger tributes:

Videos:

“Back to My Roots”

“It’s Not Easy”

Posted in Reggae, World | 7 Comments »

Remembering Joseph Hill and Culture

August 19th, 2007 by Pete


Joseph Hill, January 22, 1949 - August 19, 2006

I have to thank my wife for the infusion of more reggae into my life. She’s an island girl (Seychelles), and has grown up loving reggae. One of the great groups she has introduced me to is Culture. They are reggae legends, but I never was too familiar with them until I met her.

Today turned into reggae day for us. We watched Countryman earlier this afternoon. It’s a 1982 film about the adventures of a peaceful rastafarian fisherman. It has an awesome soundtrack of great reggae tunes. So naturally it put us into the reggae mood. So we put on Culture for the rest of the day. In cruising around the web checking out the Wikipedias and the YouTubes, I came to discover that Joseph Hill, lead singer of the group, passed away exactly one year ago today (August 19th). It was after a gig in Germany a year ago that Hill collapsed. It was later attributed to liver failure.

Hill formed Culture in Jamaica in 1976 with his cousin Albert Walker and Kenneth Dayes. They soon joined up with producer Joe Gibbs and engineer Errol Thompson, who would help Culture record a string of classic reggae albums, starting with 1977’s Two Sevens Clash. They also worked with some premier musicians of the day, including Sly Dunbar and Robbie Shakespeare.

Let’s remember Joseph Hill today with some classic Culture tunes, one of the true pioneers of roots reggae.

Culture - I’m Not Ashamed (mp3) - extended version, from Two Sevens Clash: The 30th Anniversary Edition

Culture - Jah Rastafari (mp3) - from International Herb

Culture - This Train (mp3) - from Cumbolo

Culture - Why Worry About Them (mp3) - from Wings of a Dove

Culture on Culture

Here’s a video of Culture performing “Jah Rastafari” in my wife’s home country of Seychelles…

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Standing in the Rain in Vain

March 15th, 2005 by Pete

Linton Kwesi Johnson was born in Kingston, Jamaica, and raised in the Brixton section of London.

Johnson invented dub poetry, a type of toasting descended from the DJ stylings of U-Roy and I-Roy. But whereas toasting tended to be hyperkinetic and given to fits of braggadocio, Johnson’s poetry (which is what it was — he was a published poet and journalist before he performed with a band) was more scripted and delivered in a more languid, slangy, streetwise style. Johnson’s grim realism and tales of racism in an England governed by Tories was scathingly critical. The Afro-Brits in Johnson’s poems are neglected by the government and persecuted by the police. - All Music.com

Well, my introduction to LKJ a few years ago didn’t come via a scathingly critical political song, but a laid back, sweet and humorous tune by the name of “Loraine”. It’s about his encounter with the lovely Loraine on a rainy day in May. Try as he might, ol’ Linton doesn’t get the girl, which gives us the great chorus:

Now I’m standin’ in the rain in vain, Loraine
Hoping to see you again
Tears fall from me eyes like rain, Loraine
A terrible pain in me brain, Loraine
You’re drivin’ me insane

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: I don’t know you (or maybe I do), but you’ll like this one.

Linton Kwesi Johnson - Loraine (mp3)

Linton Kwesi Johnson - Inglan is a Bitch (mp3)

Posted in Reggae, World | No Comments »

Get Lucky

February 17th, 2005 by Pete

Here’s another artist I discovered courtesy of my wife, who lived in Seychelles all of her life until that fateful day we met while she was visiting Arizona. So she introduced me to Lucky Dube. I said “Lucky Doo-Who?” Well, Lucky is a very popular South African Reggae singer, popular all across the African continent. He would even hop a plane over to Seychelles to perform. My wife saw him once. Anyhow, here’s a sample of Lucky Dube (pronounced Doo-Bay, not Doobie you stoners).

Lucky Dube - Rasta Man’s Prayer - from ‘Trinity’, 1995, Tabu Records

Buy ‘Trinity’ on Amazon.
See the All Music entry on Lucky Dube.

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