British Soulful Reggae or Soulful Reggae is the NEW Lovers Rock. Here as well as looking back at ourstory,where it all began,we will also be looking at ourstory in the future letting everyone know that we have new material which is worth listernig too, and buying. Lovers Rock was great in it's day but we have moved on.
Here, we will see, hear, why it as moved on, with up to date stories, and hearing the new sounds of Lovers Rock - BRITISH SOULFUL REGGAE, long live Reggae Music.
1. My Divine (Yeah Yeah) 2. Be My Lady 3. Sitting in the Park 4. 2.AM 5 Rainy Day in Brixton 6. Special Kind of Way 7. Lets Stay Together 8. Put Love 1st 9. Happy 10. I can't Forget It 11. Reggae Ville 12. Bills Ah Come In 13. Old time steppers 14. Almighty Bless
Music from the Caribbean Islands has long entertained fans world over. Music such as Calypso, dance hall, and ska have evolved from each other and over a period of time have got fused into what is known as reggae.
Reggae has been influenced a lot by African rhythms and American blues. This genre of music is characterized by strong bass line and bass drum beating which end up giving reggae its own unique flavor.
Reggae originated on the island of Jamaica. This island nation is home to numerous musicians and record producers from Jamaica have launched careers of many reggae musicians. Reggae musicians like Horace Andy and Burning Spear have achieved international fame. However, the most popular artiste from this genre of music is none other than Bob Marley. He enjoyed legendary status and was accorded a state funeral in Jamaica upon his demise.
Then there is Johnny Nash, Desmond Dekker and Jimmy Cliff who have had tremendous success in the British pop charts. Bands like UB40, The Clash, The Police and Selector have managed to fuse reggae with rock and roll. UB40 is one of the first and most successful multi-racial groups in the UK promoting a fusion of reggae and rock.
Reggae music covers a lot of social issues like political freedom and poverty. These songs have become synonymous with people who grow up in shanty towns and struggle to make ends meets. Some of the songs from this genre are about Rastafarian religion, which was made popular across the world by the legendary Bob Marley. However, some songs are controversial as they defend the use of cannabis.
Reggae has influenced many other forms of music. However, music experts agree that reggae needs another alluring and captivating figure like Bob Marley to spread the music even further.
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Having started as a musician and back-up singer with Undivided Roots in the '80s, Don Campbell has arrived as a possible heir apparent to Britain's lovers rock throne, which has been occupied (arguably) by the likes of Peter Hunnigale, Janet Kay, Deborahe Glasgow, Maxi Priest, Vivian Jones, Brown Sugar, and Sylvia Tella. Don Campbell's music is typical of British lovers rock (and frankly all lovers rock in general): smooth, R&B-soaked, and slickly produced, with sweet-bordering-on-sentimental messages of love. But he rises above much of the lovers crowd with his genuine vocals (a bit like Lukie D or, for a non-reggae reference, a less raspy Terrence Trent D'Arby) and penchant for catchy melodies -- either ones he's written or ones he chooses to re-record. His cover of Gabrielle's "Rise" is a prime example, as he takes the already lovely song and makes it his own, crafting a lush, achingly gorgeous time. Such remakes are an established part of reggae in general and lovers rock in particular, and several others are included here, highlighted by Jon B's "They Don't Know" and R. Kelly's "Storm Is Over Now." Campbell isn't fool-proof in his choices, however; Stevie Wonder's "As" just isn't suited to the reggae rhythm, and the less said about "Wind Beneath My Wings," the better. Reggae Max collects tracks from his body of '90s solo work (including a few previously unreleased albums), but I wouldn't consider this a genuine "best of," as it contains both hits and misses.
The songs interestingly reveal a spirituality in Campbell not often revealed by lovers rockers. I suppose "reggae gospel" is the term being applied to tunes like "Here I Am," "King of Kings," "You Can Get It," and "Storm Is Over Now," but whatever the label, as long as Campbell applies his sweet touch, they're OK with me.
Less spiritual but similarly sweet and appealing are "Never Burn Your Bridges," "No Matter What," "I Wish I Could," and "You Give to Me." Overall, this is a solid intro to a likeable performer you may not be familiar with. Track Listing 1. Do It Again 2. Here I Am 3. Kings of Kings 4. Rise 5. I Wish I Could 6. Never Burn Your Bridges 7. My My My 8. Need to Know 9. You Can Get It 10. As 11. Slave Driver 12. Without You 13. You Give to Me 14. Wind Beneath My Wings 15. See It in Your Eyes 16. They Don't Know 17. No Matter What 18. Storm Is Over Now 19. Treat You Right 20. Wheel It Again
Jamaica's original rural folk music, called mento, is the grandfather of reggae music and had significant influences on the formation of that genre. Jamaica's "country music" was inspired by African and European music as well as by American jazz and featured acoustic guitars, banjos, bamboo saxes, hand drums and marimbula (large thumb pianos) also called rhumba boxes, which were large enough to sit on and play. There were also a variety of hand percussion instruments like maracas. Mento's vocals had a distinctly African sound and the lyrics were almost always humorous and happy. Everywhere people gathered you could find a mento band and there were many mento and calypso competitions throughout the island. Mento also gave birth to Jamaica's recording industry in the 1950s when it first became available on 78 RPM records. Mento is still around today.
Before World War II, calypso from Trinidad and Tobago had made its way into Jamaica's music and, although quite different, the two were often confused. Jamaica's own calypso artists performed alongside its mento artists throughout the island, for locals and tourists alike. A calypso craze swept the U.S. and U.K. in the late 1950s as Harry Belafonte came onto the scene. Many of his songs were actually mento but they were more often described as calypso.
After the war, transistor radios and jukeboxes had become widely available and Jamaicans were able to hear music from the southern U.S., particularly jazz and rhythm and blues from some of the greats like Fats Domino and Jelly Roll Morton, and records flooded into the island.
And then, in the early 1960s, came American R&B. With a faster and far more danceable tempo, the genre caught on quickly in Jamaica. Attempting to copy this sound with local artists, Jamaicans added their own unique twists, blending in elements of their Caribbean heritage, fusing it with mento and calypso and jazz, to create a unique genre heavily driven by drums and bass and accented with rhythms on the off-beat, or the "upstroke". This purely Jamaican genre dominated the Jamaican music scene at the time and was known as ... ska.
Ska
Coinciding with the festive mood in the air when Jamaica won its independence from the U.K. in 1962, ska had a type of 12-bar rhythm and blues framework; the guitar accented the second and fourth beats in the bar, essentially flipping the R&B shuffle beat, and gave rise to this new sound.
Because Jamaica didn't ratify the Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works until 1994, Jamaican musicians often created instrumental ska versions of songs by popular American and British artists; copyright infringement was not an issue! The Skatalites re-made Motown hits, surf music and even the Beatles in their own style. The Wailers' first single Simmer Down was a ska smash in Jamaica in late 1963/early 1964 but they also covered And I Love Her by the Beatles and Like a Rolling Stone by Bob Dylan.
Although the sound system concept had taken root in Jamaica in the mid 1950s, ska led to its explosion in popularity and it became a major, uniquely Jamaican, industry that continues to thrive today. Enterprising DJs with U.S. sources for the latest records would load up pickup trucks with a generator, turntables, and huge speakers, and drive around the island blaring out the latest hits. Essentially these sound systems were like loud mobile discos! DJs charged admission and sold food and alcohol, enabling them to profit in Jamaican's unstable economy. Thousands would sometimes gather and sound systems became big business. Amidst fierce competition, Clement "Coxsone" Dodd and Duke Reid surfaced as two of the star DJs of the day. Reliant on a steady source of new music, these two superstars began to produce their own records, ultimately becoming Studio One (Dodd) and Treasure Isle (Reid).
Other important ska producers were Prince Buster, whose Blue Beat label records inspired many Jamaican ska (and later reggae) artists, and Edward Seaga, who owned and operated the West Indies Records Limited (WIRL) in the 1960s but went on to become Prime Minister of Jamaica and leader of the Jamaican Labour Party in the 1980s.
As Jamaicans emigrated in large numbers to the U.K., the sound system culture followed and became firmly entrenched there. Without the efforts of a white Anglo-Jamaican named Chris Blackwell, the rest of the world might not have come to know this Jamaican brand of music. Blackwell, a record distributor, moved his label to the U.K. in 1962 and began releasing records there on various labels, including the Island label. His early artists included the Skatalites, Jimmy Cliff and Bob Marley. Blackwell's international breakthrough came in 1964 when his artist Millie Small hit the U.S. airwaves with My Boy Lollipop.
Back in Jamaica, as American R&B and soul music became slower and smoother in the mid-1960s, ska changed its sound and evolved into... rocksteady.
Rocksteady
Songs that described dances were very popular now in the U.S. and U.K, as well as Jamaica. In the U.S., we had The Twist, The Locomotion, The Hanky Panky and The Mashed Potato. One popular dance-song in Jamaica was The Rock Steady by Alton Ellis. The name for this entire genre may have been based on that song title.
The only noteworthy difference between ska and rocksteady was the tempo. Both styles had the famous Jamaican rhythm guitar complemented by drums, bass, horns, vocals and a groove that kept you on your feet moving, but the drum and bass are played at a slower, more relaxed, pace and the rhythm is more syncopated.
Rocksteady arose at a time when Jamaica's poverty-stricken youths had become disillusioned about their futures after Jamaica gained independence from Britain. Turning into delinquents, these unruly youths became known as "rude boys". Rocksteady's themes mainly dealt with love and the rude boy culture, and had catchy dance moves which were far more energetic than the earlier ska dance moves. Many bass lines originally created for rocksteady songs continue to be used in today's Jamaican music.
As a musical style, rocksteady was short-lived, and existed for only about two years. Some of the more well-known rocksteady artists were Alton Ellis, Justin Hinds and the Dominos, Derrick Morgan, The Gaylads, The Kingstonians, Delroy Wilson, Bob Andy, Ken Boothe, The Maytals and The Paragons.
Continuing to evolve, Jamaica's musical tempo slowed, bass patterns became more complex, and the piano gave way to the electric organ, giving birth to... reggae, which eventually became the most popular music genre in the world!
Visit http://www.keepitjiggy.com for loads of information about Jamaica, its history, its food, travel information, reggae music, its artists, and resources for locating those hard-to-find collectibles in the genre.
Born in South London 12th December 1960 Peter Hunnigale was to develop into one of Britain's most formidable Reggae artist of our time. It was clear at a tender age Peter's main interest was in music and being born of Jamaican parentage he was exposed and influenced by music of West Indian culture. Growing up in Britain meant that Peter was also opened to other genre's in music and with seeing the popular acts of the day performing on Television and hearing the songs on Radio, Peter knew what he wanted to be. There were very few places where one could nurture their talents during the 60's so Peter had to wait until secondary school before he would be able to learn basic Guitar chords and discover other students with the same interests as himself. It was at secondary school in South London where Peter met Fitzroy Blake who was to become the recording engineer for Peter's earlier hits. Their interests in music took Peter and Fitzroy through the basic rudiments of recording and making records and learning the skills needed to develop their talents as professionally as possible. At the end of their academic years Fitzroy took on work as tape operator at De Wolfe Studio in Wardour St. London, whilst Peter continued to learn his craft as a guitarist and both saw further encouragement in the wake of the Lovers Rock phenomena. Peter's first recordings were at De Wolfe Studio where Fitzroy was given free studio- time on weekends and being in such a privileged circumstance they both were exposed to a professional level of playing and recording music. The first record to be released from that period was a song written by Peter called "Slipping Away" (circa 1980 LGR records) and was to be the beginning of a long line of hits to follow from this prolific exponent of British Reggae music.
"Dancin Time" was the next release Peter was to appear on teaming up with Raymond Simpson, a much-respected vocalist by many, including Peter. The song was recorded at "Vibes Corner Studio" the brainchild of Fitzroy and Raymond. Consisting mainly of British local talent, the studio was like a workshop and was an ideal environment for Peter to improve on his skills as a musician and to practice his vocal techniques which was seen as an important factor to any of the in-house productions. Dancin Time was the only record released from Vibes Corner and unfortunately enough the studio came to a close not long after. This gave birth to the idea of creating a new label as both Peter and Fitzroy were still a team producing material and still eager to continue their chosen profession so it was not long before "Street Vibes Records" was formed. "Got to get to know you" c/w "Money Money" was Street Vibes Records first issue but did very little to bring any further awareness to the talents of the outfit. It would be some time before Street Vibes released a second recording. During the period outside of the studio productions Peter and Fitzroy took on the role of session and live work with Reggae legends such as "The Chosen few" "The Pioneers" "B B Seaton" and many others while earning the respect of their peers as a competent Bassist and qualified engineer. The live commitments were a new direction in Peter's career and taught him live performance protocol, which only served to enhance his knowledge of music and the industry. Production was still the main feature of the duo's forte so armed with a 4 track quarter-inch machine, desk, keyboards and guitars Peter and Fitzroy continued to produce material and it was not long before "Giving myself away" was recorded and released on the Street Vibes Label and became the first entry for Peter in the then "Black Echoes" charts. The song got to number 24 and received positive response from sales and media sources and gave the partners the platform they needed. 1986 was the year Peter Hunnigale firmly established his name as the industry's most promising newcomer charting with a song called "Be my lady" (1986) and achieving the respectful position of number 4 in the Echoes charts and again featuring on the Street Vibes label.
The path was set for a flurry of songs written and performed by Peter proving his talents as a recording artist and displaying the production qualities of Street Vibes. "Fool for you" "Let's get it together" "It's like happiness" "Mr. Vibes" "Heart of steel" were some of the title's released by the outfit and prompted Peter's first album entitled "In this time" which featured new elements in the team. Tuca Rainbow, (percussion) & Delroy "Fluty" Clarke (keyboard's & horns) were the formal additions to the Street Vibes camp. After it's launch, "In this time" came to rest at the number 1 position in the album charts and gained Peter notoriety for consistency and quality in his recordings and was quoted to be one of Britain's finest singer/songwriters in Reggae music. Inevitably awards followed, marking the respect Peter had gained for his music, so 1987 saw Peter collect his first accolade at the Celebrity Awards ceremony held in London, for best newcomer. Within the same year Peter was presented with a second award at the British Reggae Industry ceremony, for best British Reggae album. More recordings followed and with his growing popularity began co-writing and producing other artists from the industry. A DJ/Singer partnership was born from the notable success of "Raggamuffin girl" with Tippa Irie. It stole the number one position in the charts and won Peter and Tippa record of the year (1989) Black Echoes Magazine and also received an award at the British Reggae industry ceremony for reaching to number one (1989).
Two albums were recorded making official the new partnership between Peter and Tippa. "New Decade" (Mango records) and "Done cook and curry" (Tribal bass records) was once again a new direction in Peter's career and his partner Tippa Irie was quite a formidable artist in his own right which led the team to different areas within the Reggae industry. 1990 Peter recorded his first single in Jamaica entitled "A Love like this" at the courtesy of Augustus"Gussie"Clarke (Music Works) but was mainly only available on the "Massive compilations" produced by Level Vibes Records in the UK. At this stage Peter had firmly established himself in the market with chart topping hits such as "Mr. Vibes" "Heavenly" "Time for love" "Seeing is believing" and "Heart of Steel" which eventually culminated into Peter's second solo album entitled "Mr.Vibes" all recorded for the Street Vibes label but released by Arawak Records in 1992 as an album. Although by this time the British Reggae Industry had moved on from the Lovers Rock era and Jamaican Dance hall became the theme, Peter still maintained his brand and level of music much to his own benefit as this now placed him as a unique alternative in the market. A third album was released upon signing to "Down to Jam" Records (London) entitled "Nah Give Up" (1995) containing more singles recorded by Peter and featuring songs for other producers. Two tracks, which appeared on the Nah give up album made British Reggae history. "Perfect lady" recorded and released by Fashion records and "Baby- Please" recorded and released by Saxon records both achieved the number one slot consecutively in the Echoes charts 1994, each changing positions with themselves from 1-2 and visa versa. As recognition of this remarkable event Peter received no less than three awards at the BRI 14th Annual Awards Ceremony 1995 for the year 1994. Best song / Best songwriter and Best Male Singer. BBC 3 counties radio hosted by Crucial Robbie also furnished Peter with the Best British Male Vocalist Award for 1994 at its ceremony.
Peter had recorded and produced the Arsenal football club 1994 Coca Cola cup double anthem "Shouting for the Gunners" along with DJ partner Tippa Irie which was released by London records 1994, and reached the top Forty in the national chart. Arsenal went on to win both matches! Legendary pop icon Gilbert O' Sulivan was one of many who also commissioned Peter to remix his 1970's hit "Why oh Why" which was sheer delight for Peter as this became a new challenge to his capabilities. Gilbert noted the song as a perfect fit even though the track was performed in true Lovers Rock style. Nah Give up was yet to bear more fruits as it won the first MOBO Awards best Reggae album category 1996 and also the Black Music Awards within the same year. Peter won more awards during the same period for Best Male Vocalist and best single "Share your love" with fellow artists Nerious Joseph / Mafia & Fluxy and Glamour Kid (Passion) released by (Jet Star records) at the 1996 People's Awards ceremony and again in1997 for Best Male Vocalist. More albums were to follow "The Pacifists" (Sony records) "Mr.Government"(Ariwa) "Reggae Max" (Jet Star Records) "Silly Habits" (Jamming) "Genuine" (Saxon records) and "Back to the old school" - (Disco Tex Records) all between (1996 - 98). "African Tears" "Going out of my head" "Lets be Friends" "Find a way" the "Dennis Brown Tribute" recording featuring the British Reggae Industry were more singles performed By Peter on the run up to the Millenium year 1999 and is hailed by his peers as Britain's Premier and number one Reggae Singer / songwriter to date, with still another album to be released by Disco Tex Records entitled " African Tears" and due for release in Spring 2001. After recording several hit singles with Charm Records, Jetstar Phonographics are also scheduled to release a new CD from Peter in Autumn 2001 which will see his Album catalogue well into double figures and with no doubt will reflect the consistency in the quality of recordings expected from this artist.
Peter has toured throughout the world from Australia, Japan, Jamaica (Reggae Sunsplash) UK, Germany, Sweden, Spain, Paris, New York and California to name but a few, and have performed alongside Reggae legends the likes of Beres Hammond, Freddie McGregor, Alton Ellis, The Chosen Few And The Pioneers.
Regarded as one of the leading forces of England’s “lovers rock” era, singer Sandra Cross is back with her first full album in over a decade. Thanks to the determined efforts of producer Lloyd Campbell, who in 2005, found Cross living in obscurity in Barbados. The United States, England, Japan, and the rest of the world, can once again share the sweet harmonies of this gifted singer. Cross came of age during the original outbreak of the UK’s lovers rock movement in the early seventies. She composed her first number-one song – “I Adore You” – when she was only fourteen years old. Over the years, she went on to record over twenty albums for various producers and accumulated an extensive list of hit singles. During that time, she became one of the most admired lovers rock singers in the business. She earned the BBC listener’s “Britain’s Best Female Reggae Singer” for six consecutive years – between 1986 -1991. Following several personal and professional turmoils, Sandra Cross left England to relocate in Barbados.
Not many people in this part of the world is familiar with Sandra Cross’ past achievements, most is hearing of her for the first time. So Now is truly an introduction to her. However, for the past year or so, Campbell has been releasing singles here and there, basically, to slowly move her into the American reggae market. Tracks like “At Last” “Take A Bow” “Someone Special” and “Beautiful Picture”, have done well for her, and are included on Now. In addition, there are other outstanding tracks that are worth mentioning. Among them, her update of “I Adore You” her take on The Wailers’ “Soul Shake Down Party” Peter Tosh’s “Brand New Second Hand”, The Stylistics’ “Country Living” the classic “What About Us” and “The Sweeter He Is.” There are also some original compositions that are dealing with what appear to be personal issues.
Initially, I had reservations of British styled lovers rock making it across the Atlantic, Campbell and I have had several arguments on the subject. But over the years, he proved it can. Under his tutelage, singers like Lloyd Brown, Don Campbell, Peter Spence, and Donna Marie, have had moderate to massive successes Stateside, especially Lloyd Brown. Sandra Cross can continue this momentum with Now. With this combination with Lloyd Campbell and his team of top musicians like Lloyd Willis, Sly Dunbar, Mafia & Fluxy, Robbie Shakespear, Robbie Lyn, Computer Paul, Dean Fraser, and Michael Fletcher, she is poised to capture new fans in the US, and rekindle her old European base. Now is a special gift to all, from a singer who is sure to leave an everlasting impression on those who get a copy of this CD! REVIEW By CLINTON LINDSAY
A native of South London, Sandra Cross is the only girl among seven brothers. She started singing in the Pentecostal Church and led the choir when she was nine. At 14, she recorded with a friend as Love & Unity. The recording was the first prize for winning a talent show with a song Sandra wrote entitled "I Adore You." Released on Studio 16 Records, it was #1 on Britain's reggae chart for four straight weeks in 1979;
They followed with three top five-hits: "I Just Don't Care," "I Can't Let You Go," and "Put It On," before splitting up the team. After the breakup she wanted to solo but met The Mad Professor, a producer, who owned Awria Records. He chose Sandra for and all girls' band called The Wild Bunch whose lone album entered the reggae top 20 chart in 1984; they toured Europe for a year before disbanding. Sandra's first solo release was a remake of the Stylistics' "Country Living," aced British Chart for 10 straight weeks in 1985.
Her second solo attempt "You're Lying" nested at the top spot four weeks, Ariwa released her debut solo album Country Living in 1986. She won the British Reggae Awards for the Best Female Singer six consecutive years from 1985 to 1991. Other awards include, the Radio London Entertainment Celebrity Award in 1986. In 1989 she snagged 'The Voice' Newspaper Music Awards as Best Reggae Female Artist, and won the Chicago Radio Awards for the Highest Selling Record in 1990. Ariwa released six albums on Sandra including The Wild Bunch LP; in 1992 she recorded Lovers Interlude, on Teichiku Records. In 1996, she recorded the first reggae/jazz album, Just A Dream, on Pioneer Records, a Japanese label like Teichiku.
Sandra's latest recordings have appeared on SCM Records, an acronym for Sandra Cross Music. ~ Andrew Hamilton, All Music Guide
