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REGGAE UPDATES FROM JAMAICA: Cherine releases debut; Hey hits number one; Gyptian debut launch; Chart updates
· Jamaican born actress Cherine Anderson to release debut album
*Actress-turned singer Cherine Anderson is quite busy these days. She has been glowing in the success of her recent single Good Love which was produced by the duo of Sly and Robbie. The song peaked at number two on the South Florida Reggae chart. According to Cherine, the song has been opening up a lot of doors for her. ‘The song has been taking me places. I did international night at Sumfest, I also did Reggae on the River in California, and now I am gearing up for Sting in Miami’, Anderson related in a telephone interview from Florida on the weekend.
She added ‘I see the success of Good Love as a building process for me. I am not surprised about the public’s reception of the song because before we released it, we had invited some industry personnel to listen to it, and the feedback was good. The song is doing well in some parts of Europe right now’.
Following up on Good Love, Anderson has teamed up with Chuck Fenda for the radio hit Coming over Tonight. Produced by Christopher Birch and included on the Ghetto Blues rhythm juggling, Coming over Tonight is already making moves on the charts. ‘When I heard the song Coming over Tonight, I liked it right away. Chuck Fenda is really a cool person and he is down to earth. I liked working with him’, said Anderson. A video for the song is to be shot this week in Kingston with music video director Kimala ‘La La’ Bennett behind the controls.
Anderson, a former member of the Ashe ensemble, gained attention when she starred in the 1997 movie Dancehall Queen opposite Audrey Reid and Paul Campbell. Anderson was 14 years old at the time when she beat out more than 100 other young girls for the role. She later starred opposite Kymani Marley in One Love. She was also featured on the film’s soundtrack album.
With an album almost complete, Anderson hasn’t put her acting days behind her. ‘I have been getting scripts but some don’t appeal to me. None have the appeal to stretch me as an actress’, said Anderson. Her debut album is expected in the first quarter of 2007. The album according to Anderson will contain some interesting collaborations. ‘We are hoping to have about 12-16 songs on the album. Its going to be very hybrid and it will showcase all the things that I wanted to do. It will be mixed with patois and English, and the topics will vary from politics to love, growing up in Nannyville and life today in Jamaica’, Anderson explained.
After graduating from Wolmers Girls High, Anderson enrolled in the sixth form at Queens High. She then went to Middlebury College in Vermont, USA and then Keio University in Tokyo, Japan where she studied Japanese language and Literature. She also did a stint as an intern at Music Television (MTV) in the US.
Anderson lists R&B singer Lauryn Hill, and Chevelle Franklin among her musical influences. She pointed out that fame isn’t something that she is concerned about. She is more focused at making a positive impact on the lives of others. ‘Its not about Cherine Anderson the actress or the singer. I am comfortable about making a positive impact on others. I recently went back to my alma mata at Excelsior Primary and spoke to some of the students there and the response was overwhelming. It feels good knowing that I can make a positive impact on the lives of others’, she said.
· Gyptian launches album in New York City
The launch of Gyptian’s debut album My Name is Gyptian, took place at the Canal Room in New York City last week. According to reports, the venue was packed to capacity. Among the guests who came out to support Gyptian were actor Leon, Jamaican born male model Tyson Beckford and fellow recording artiste I Wayne.
My Name is Gyptian contains 15 tracks. Among the previously released tracks are the number one hits Serious Times, Beautiful Lady and Mama. Round Head, Teflon and Keisha appear on the album.
· Hey, Voice Mail is number one
Voice Mail’s debut album Hey is the number one selling album locally. The album is number one on the local album charts, having removed Coco Tea’s Save Us Oh Jah from the top spot.
"Hey" has been doing well on the international market, moving over 150,000 copies in Japan alone. The 17-track set comes equipped with familiar hits including Get Crazy, Wacky Dip, Weddy Time and Ready to Party.
Hey features production work from a slate of producers including Christopher Birch, Robert Livingston, Donovan Bennett and Danny Champagne.
The album’s lead off track Wacky Dip, a tribute to the late Jamaican dancer Bogle, which topped the local charts in 2005, is currently number six on Tempo’s Cross Caribbean Countdown.
· Chart Updates
After debuting at number 65 last week, Beenie Man’s Undisputed album tumbles to number 115 on the Billboard 200. The Virgin Records disc continues to hold down the number one spot on the Billboard Reggae album chart.
Over to Billboard’s Rap Singles chart, Cham’s Ghetto Story Chapter 2 featuring Alicia Keys slips from 14 to 13, while Sean Paul’s When You Gonna Give it Up to Me featuring Keyshia Cole holds firm at number four. Tony Matterhorn’s Dutty Wine is stuck at number 19, while Its Okay (One Blood) by rapper The Game featuring Junior Reid camps out in the number 18 position.
Moving across to Billboard’s Hot R&B Hip Hop Singles & Tracks tally, Cham falls from 15 to 21, while Sean Paul inches down a spot from 8 to 9. Matterhorn makes gains this week as Dutty Wine hops from 39 to 35, while Junior Reid moves up two places to 46.
Dutty Wine is bubbling under Billboard’s Hot 100 chart, but on the main tally Cham crashes from 77 to 83. Reid loses gas falling from 94 to 97, and Sean Paul’s traveling bags are unpacked at number 5.
