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REGGAE UPDATES FROM JAMAICA: Stephen Marley's Mind Control is serious work not to be ignored
*Stephen Marley gets down to serious business on his very own solo debut Mind Control. Not that he wasn’t a serious musician before his spanking new debut. He had already proven his mettle with albums such as brother Damian ‘Jr. Gong’ Marley’s Welcome to Jamrock and the various artistes compilation Chant Down Babylon.
Mind Control is now available locally through distributor Tuff Gong. Marley is without a doubt the most talented of the clan and his vulnerability is evident on this eleven track opus.
With torch burners including the number one hit The Traffic Jam, Hey Baby, Iron Bars, You’re Gonna Leave and Chase Dem, Mind Control is a total breeze and warrants multiple listening. The real icing on the cake is the poignant track Fed Up, my personal favourite. A bonus video for the song The Traffic Jam is added incentive for the curious fan. Mind Control debuted at number one on the Billboard reggae album chart three weeks ago. It sold over 20,000 copies in its first week of release in the US.
* Yellow Man’s Most Wanted disc has been re-issued
Yellow Man’s Most Wanted disc which contains hits spanning the period 1982 to 1987 has been re-released by London’s Greensleeves Records. The set is one of the many goodies that Greensleeves has been unleashing as a part of its 30th anniversary celebrations.
Most Wanted gets a second look with this newly packaged edition boasting a biography, rare photos and liner notes.
The set glows with biggies like Mr. Chin, Who Can Make the Dance Ram, Yellow Man Getting Married, Zungguzungguguzungguzeng, Body Move, Blueberry Hill (a cover of the Fats Domino original which placed Yellow Man back at the top of the Jamaican charts in the 1987), Nobody Move Nobody Get Hurt and Mr. Wong.
Most Wanted leaves no doubt that Yellow Man remains one of the dancehall’s most prolific toasters. Any serious Yellow Man fan should be filling out subscriptions to this 16 track collection.
• Vegas rides with multiple hits, album on the way
Mr. Vegas has been riding a tidal wave of hits over the past year. After topping the charts last year with Do You Know and Hot Wuk, Vegas is charting with tunes including Raging Bull, To Love a Woman (a cover of the Bryan Adams hit Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman), Nuh Fren from Dem and the dance inspired Tek Weh Yuself.
Our usually reliable sources have revealed that Vegas will be releasing his long awaited album later on this year. This column understands that Vegas is reportedly in negotiations to sign with Greensleeves Records. He was signed to the label in the 1990’s.
Vegas recently completed a video shoot in California for the track You Gonna Need Me featuring Jovi Rockwell.
This column wishes Vegas a speedy recovering from his recent illness.
• BITS AND PIECES
VP Records is releasing Ras Shiloh’s album Coming Home on June 12. The set was produced by Bobby Digital.
Wayne Wonder’s new single is called Again. It will be included on his forthcoming VP Records album.
Shaggy’s Church Heathen continues to dominate reggae charts worldwide. Our reliable sources have confirmed that Shaggy’s forthcoming album will be released on VP Records this summer.
Jamaican born singer Olivia is no longer with 50 Cent’s G Unit camp. According to information on the internet, Olivia cites consistent sexual harassment from members of the G Unit camp, as reason for her departure.
Singer Daville’s album On My Mind has been pushed back to a May 15 release. Meanwhile, his track Just a Little Girl produced by Preston Onfroy recently peaked at number three on the national charts in Aruba.
