Miami-based veteran Jamaican singer Screwdriver's next album, Prophecy, is to be released in Jamaica this month.
A trained guitarist, the singer best known for the classic reggae single, No Mama (Sharon Yu Pregnant) has been a resident in Miami for a number of years. He has surrounded himself with some of the best Jamaican musicians in that city and has recorded a number of great albums, including his 1997 CD, Let Me Remind You.
To date, he has released five albums, but according to the publicist for Prophecy, Danny Breakenridge, the new album "captures the amazing spirit of his writing ability and his electric vocal style."
Sweet melodies
Sugar Roy's debut CD, Dance Nice Again, has been released by Brickwall Record Distribution in North America.
Dance Nice Again is the name of his current local hit single on his own Fireball Productions label. Roy, who hails from Clarendon, is a protege of veteran producer Bobby 'Digital' Dixon but has been doing his own producing over the past year.
He produced the hot 'Wanga' rhythm with tracks like Good Cop, Bad Cop, Anthony B and Caan Tan Yah, Capleton. The CD is to be released locally in a couple of weeks.
Reggae in Cayman
Jamaican-born Fabian Findlay, currently one of the best known reggae acts in the Cayman Islands, says he will be launching his next single, In Your Mind, in Kingston.
The single will be on his own Belvedere Productions label and will be distributed locally by Manatee Records, which is owned by his close friend and producer Delon Reid. It will be released month end.
Findlay is from Belvedere, St. Andrew, where he started singing in church. He had been singing on sound systems since age 15. His first singles, Gi Mi Di Love and You Need a Friend were released by Harry J Records.
He has been lead singer for a number of Jamaican bands, including Black Ridims and 007, and in Cayman he has worked with several leading bands, including Acts and CMX.
He was with the Acts Band for about 15 months, after which he landed a job with the Cayman Government. He later joined CMX International, with whom he has performed around the Caribbean.
In 1998, he came back home and has been teaming with Reid since on his debut album, which was recently completed, and the lead off single, In Your Mind, which will be his first release in Jamaica in about a decade.
Launching out
TOK's new album, My Crew, My Dawgs, was released by VP on November sixth in New York, The group is currently on a promotional tour to support the album.
The promotion began in New York, November 2-7, when the quartet did a number of interviews, in-shop autographing, etcetera. They then travelled to London for the English leg of the tour, which began on November eight in Bradford then visited Birmingham, Bristol and London.
They returned to New York on November 17. They are currently in Florida and the plan is that they will remain there until November 26, doing more promotional stuff like interviews and autograph signings.
They will start their U.S. tour on December 1 in Philadelphia. Dates on that tour include: Vermont, December 4; Hartford/Springfield, Connecticut, December 5; Cleveland, December sixth; Chicago, December 7; Milwaukee, December ninth; Minnesota, December 11; Kansas, December 12; Virginia Beach, December 13; North Carolina, December 14; Houston and Dallas, December 15/16.
The group will be back home in time for the Christmas Extravaganza on December 22 in St. Elizabeth and Teensplash at James Beach, St. Mary on December 26.
Pablo B's hot model
Jamaican-born DJ Pablo B's latest single, Model In Style, will be released locally on Ocho Rios' Godfather label later this month.
Pablo B was born in Kingston but has been living in New Jersey since he was 15, performing across the tri-state state area, on campuses like Pace University in New York and St. John's College in New Jersey and has appeared on BET's Caribbean Rhythms.
He has been living in Ervington, New Jersey, where he has been building up some support. He has also been recording his debut CD, Ghetto People, which will also feature fellow New Jersey DJs War Goat and Laser Beam, at the Climax International Studio there.
