NEW RELEASE Reggae veteran Johnny Clarke debuts on the Heartical label with Never Give Up On Jah, the first single from the forthcoming riddim album, I’m A Revolutionist. The classic Studio One riddim, originally popularized by Freddie McGregor in the 1970s, has been reimagined by Basque Dub Foundation. Available now for download and streaming, it will also be offered as…
REISSUE The Jolly Brothers, a group hailing from Hellshire Beach, St. Catherine, achieved significant UK success in 1977 with their single Conscious Man, recorded at Perry’s Black Ark Studio in Kingston and released in the UK via Ballistic Records without Perry’s approval. This hit preceded a 1978 album recording session. However, the album, also titled Conscious Man (misspelt as Concious…
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.…
Black Music Magazine Back in the early 1970s, Black Music Magazine held the unique position of being the sole publication dedicated to covering the Jamaican music scene. Each month, they released the “Black Music Reggae Top Ten” charts for both singles and albums. We will be regularly sharing these vintage charts on our website, courtesy of Eric Denham, to whom…
REISSUE Freddie McKay’s self-produced 1977 LP Harsh Words has finally returned to circulation. Initially released in Jamaica on Gorgon Records, a subsidiary of Sonic Sounds, it was issued in the US by Salsoul Records’ sister label Salsoul Salsa Series in 1982. The album includes 10 tracks, featuring previously issued singles from the ’70s along with exclusive songs like the title…
DJ 745 from Reggae Interviews sat down with Ras Shiloh in Brooklyn, NY to reason about life, music and reflect back on his career which started out over 30 years ago as Big Belly Youth. Ras Shiloh released his latest album See it Deh in Summer 2024 which was produced by Michael “Jah Mikes” Coburn of Reggae Vibes Productions. Read…
Nattali Rize is originally from New South Wales in Australia and was the lead singer and guitarist with Blue King Brown, a fine roots band formed with her partner Carlo Santone. She moved to Jamaica in 2014, released her first album Rebel Frequency (read the review here) three years later (following on from an EP release) and worked with the…
NEW RELEASE Clinton Fearon’s new single, It Go So, instantly brings to mind his influential period as the bassist for The Gladiators. This roots reggae track conveys a straightforward yet vital message: a reminder that we all share the same humanity. During these times of turmoil and division, Fearon’s intention is clear: to inspire greater compassion and create a more…
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…
Sanchez is back! Renowned for his hits like Never Dis Di Man, Loneliness, I Can’t Wait, One In A Million, and Fall In Love over his impressive four-decade career, the veteran singer has unveiled the eagerly anticipated follow-up to his 2011 release, Love You More, which was produced by Donovan Germain. For his new 10-track album titled Jamdown, Sanchez collaborated…