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When Stephen Davis and Peter Simon's Landmark Book Reggae International first appeared
in 1982, there wasn't much to report in the way of homegrown reggae in the United States. Any
updated version of the book (an idea I'm all for, by the way) would have to go much further to
cover what we in the States are doing with the Jamaican roots sound.
Just as Jamaican dancehall artists ahve been increasingly influenced by the sound, style and
attitude of American rappers, practitioners of roots reggae in the U.S. are gleaning from
the golden era of Jamaican reggae...
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Top of the Tens: as usual, our contentious panel of experts was all over the map with its choices,
but it was the Saharan sands and songs from Senegal with strings from the Nile that carried the year...
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In 2001, Warrior King broke out with his debut smash single "Virtuous Woman." WIth its righteous
lyrics and fervent attention to the fairer sex, this song burned up the airwaves, staying at number
one on the Jamaican charts for 13 weeks...
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Call him "Dubwise" or simply "Dubz." Versatile guitarist Robert Browne gained worldwide
recognition while touring with Shaggy for the last six years, during the height of his
"Mr. Boombastic" and "It Wasn't Me" fame. Now, the 28-year-old musician is expanding the
scope of Jamaican music as executive producer and principal songwriter of his debut album
Robert Dubwise, Birth.
"To define my album I would have to refer to its name Birth, because that's what it is --
the beginning of something new... a new period of growth for me," said Robert, who worked on the
album between tours with Shaggy. "Musically, I'd say it's a journey like none you've take before,
with a fusion of reggae/dancehall, smooth jazz and rock all in one package"...
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