Mel Cooke, Freelance Writer

- Pam Hall performs at Red Stripe Reggae Sumfest's 'Top Ranking - The Dancehall Salute', at Pier One, in Montego Bay last year.-file contributed

Pam Hall smiles from the cover of her latest album, Songs In the Key of Dancehall, the thumb and forefinger of her right hand clutching the brim of a black and green cap. A band of gold in the wristband on her left hand, the palm of which is resting on the back of the cap as if setting it firmly in place, confirms the Jamaican intentions.

On her 11th album Pam Hall does not exactly don the new hat of producer but the musical brim has never been as wide, her name listed in the production and musician credits of almost all of the 17 songs, including 'all instruments' for the opening Moonlight Lover (U Roy stylee), Rain on Me and Blessing.

Worked on many albums

"I have worked on many of my albums before, but this is the first one from point one. I have not gone this far into the production process before, so this one is like my special little baby," Hall said.

The product of a coupling of 'classic tunes paired with dancehall rhythms' was conceived some time ago, with a gestation period long enough ('it took a couple of years') for full development, but not so much that labour had to be induced.

"We had the idea long before, but we never followed it up," Hall says, the "we" being herself and co-producer for the project, Errol 'Willo' Wilson. "I did a couple tracks which were unreleased, then we had some songs on an album before that fit the theme. The later songs were me doing songs on the computer. I started doing this sort of thing in 2003, so I took my time. We did a lot of songs that are not on the album.We picked the songs that fit the theme," Hall said.

Among those that made the cut, is a pairing of producer Scatta Burrell and singer Sarah Vaughn, as the former's Coolie Dance rhythm (with additional instruments by Pam Hall) is used in a reworking of Broken Hearted Melody. And U2's I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For gets the DJ input of Lady Saw, one of three guests on the album. The other two are Nesbeth on Outa Aada and Frankie Paul on Touch Me.

Switch not drastic

Songs In the Key of Dancehall is a marked departure from Hall's previous album, the voice and guitar combination Testament between herself and Ernie Ranglin. For her, though, the switch is not drastic.

"I have always involved myself in all kinds of music. Testament is the first jazz album. I had done reggae-jazz before, but Testament was guitar and voice alone and that was a first. I guess I have been breaking ground of late," she said.

The songs from the latest album have not yet been sown on that broken ground in live performance, though, as only Broken Hearted Melody, which Hall says was a hit in New York and Florida, has been presented as it is on the album. "I have done it a couple times on jazz shows, with the dancehall. The response has been pretty good," Hall said.

She does not place any restrictions on herself. "I sing jazz, I sing reggae, I sing dancehall, I deejay. I do not look down on any kind of music; I look down on certain behaviour that can happen in any music. I like dancehall. I like the artistes. But some of them need to clean it up. I am not saying everybody must sing gospel," Hall said.

With performances on last year's Sunsplash and Sumfest festivals and a December concert in New York among a long list of last year's performances, in March Pam Hall heads to Hawaii with Third World and Inner Circle. And she is already looking towards a dozen albums, as "the next album is sitting there. It is ready. It is a one drop."

"I have lots more to give," Hall said.