NEW RELEASE Driven by riddim, energy, and innovation, Kingston Sound System, a collective of seasoned Jamaican musicians including Ian “Beezy” Coleman (Ziggy and Damian Marley, Wyclef, Fugees), Devon Bradshaw (Burning Spear), and Guillaume “Stepper Sax” Briard (Sly & Robbie), has released their reggae reimagining of Bronski Beat’s hit Smalltown Boy, featuring Jimmy Somerville’s original vocals. This release is the third…
COVER VERSION VS ORIGINAL SONG Since the early 1960s and even prior, numerous iconic Jamaican hits were derived from popular foreign songs. The original pop and soul tracks were frequently embraced by audiences on the island, leading reggae artists to create their own renditions. Some of these artists gained fame by covering chart-topping songs, turning these adaptations into timeless classics.…
Hailing from Cologne, Germany, Los Apartamentos stands as the nation’s singular mento band, achieving notable success since their formation in 2016. Their musical lineage traces back to ska, with members previously contributing to bands like The Braces, Monkey Shop, and Kapelle 3. Driven by a desire to explore their musical roots, they discovered mento, prompting a shift to an acoustic…
REISSUE Coxsone Dodd selected twelve tracks for a compilation LP meant to debut in 1971 in the UK under Junior “Ashanti” Lincoln’s Bamboo label. Among the chosen songs that had already been issued on 7″ singles in the UK on Bamboo were The Heptones’ Suspicious Minds, Freddie McKay’s Sweet You Sour You, Wailing Souls’ Mr. Fire Coal Man, and Ken…
VIDEOS Two new videos on the COCREATE YouTube channel feature dub poet Mutabaruka recounting his connection with Bob Andy, detailing their meeting via his influential radio program, “The Cutting Edge,” and sharing his insights on Andy’s musical talent and the profound lyrical content of his songwriting. Muta reflects on the importance of Bob Andy’s musical legacy, and the impact it…
Reunited Six years ago, in the spring of 2019, the prolific roots artist and skilled wordsmith Ras Teo joined forces with the equally prolific and gifted Roberto Sánchez of A-Lone Productions to release the compelling vinyl double LP, Ten Thousand Lions, which contained vocal tracks on one record and their dub versions on the other. In total, it comprised 24…
STAY UPDATED WITH OUR PICKS OF THE WEEK In general, Reggae Vibes’ weekly Spotify Playlist is compiled of tunes that were released in the previous week, a blast from the past, a dub piece, chart toppers and new entries in the dancehall & reggae charts, and tracks from albums and EPs that were reviewed in the past seven days. Share…
REISSUE The set, originally released in 1991, showcases Wiss, Skelly, and Apple backed by the Roots Radics, with Doctor Dread handling production. Despite dancehall’s dominance at the time, this old-school reggae album, recorded at Lion & Fox studios, received widespread critical acclaim. Now, Digger’s Factory, in collaboration with RAS Records, is reissuing Forever on vinyl for the first time since…
Born in Guadeloupe in 1977, conscious French reggae singer Tiwony has a real winner with this album. Energy kicks off the set with a slice of almost late 60s reggae inflected dancehall, lovely lead vocal and subtle backing vocals on a driving but very controlled and incredibly catchy performance. Eïla leans towards a more delicate sound, whilst Live The Dream…
Carlene Davis can sing. If you need proof, listen to her traditional gospel-styled intro to Days Of Elijah, a vocal tour-de-force and then some… Of course, we knew that anyway. Carlene was born in Jamaica and spent time in both England and Canada, before returning to her native island and enjoying reggae hits in the 80s and early 90s. After…