Jahmali to launch new album in December

Spiritual rastafarian singer Jahmali has been back in Jamaica for close to a year working assiduously on an album which he hopes will renew the faith of reggae lovers in the roots-rock-reggae movement.

The album, which he has dubbed Eclipse, will be launched in December of this year, and this week, Jahmali released the first single, Country Road, a rock-tinged powerhouse of a song that was featured last week on the popular entertainment programme, ER, on TVJ.

"From the song drop, mi phone a ring off the hook. the people dem a look out for great music, and several disc jocks from IRIE and HITZ already a link me pon it. so mi have faith that good music still reigns," he said.

The singer also plans to release a video for Country Road later this year.

"I am going all out with the promotion. I have invested a lot of money, dollars weh mi no have, in producing this album. I got in touch with Clive Hunt, who did a brilliant arrangement of the horns on several songs on the album. this production is going to blow people away," he said.

Spiritual anthem

Known for the spiritual anthem El Shaddai from the landmark album of the same name, Jahmali believes that he has been sidelined by certain powers within the business but is not daunted by the struggle.

"I-and-I born to do music. Jamaica may not be hearing mi because the disc jockeys an the sound system operator dem playing di same songs every day. But I'm still recording, an Europe an the Caribbean hearing mi," he said in a release.

After the breakthrough success of El Shaddai, Jahmali migrated to the United States. While there, he continued to churn out music for various producers including the British independent label, Necessary Mayhem. He has hit charts in Kenya, France, and Germany with singles such as Bloodthirsty, How Thankful Am I, and A Girl Like You. "Those are the songs that have kept me working in Europe," he said.

In the meantime, the industry is bracing for the arrival of the self-produced Eclipse. As mentioned earlier, the well-respected Clive Hunt is also part of the production team, with guitarist Winston 'Bo Pee' Bowen and keyboardist Franklin 'Bubbler' Waul among the musicians.

Jahmali was part of the roots revival that transformed the bawdy image of dancehall in the 1990s. He had to wait longer than his contemporaries for the break, which came in 1999 with El Shaddai, produced by Donovan Germain. The song and album raised Jahmali's profile from unknown to 'artiste to watch', but the critical follow-up hit did not materialise, and he moved to the US.

Though his expectations for Eclipse are high, Jahmali believes he has matured and no longer yearns that big-hit song, although Country Road is already generating a healthy buzz.

"I'm not doing this for myself. is not a Jahmali trod. I'm doing the Father's work," he said.

He can be contacted at malibookings@gmail.com.

(from Jamaica Star)