Denise Reid, Gleaner Writer

Five years ago, four young men with a passion for singing and music came together under the guidance of Show Jam's Alex Foster. Kyrie Pearson, Nerada Brissette, Garth Jobson and Kemar Williams do not sing from the heart; they sing from their souls in an attempt to reach the souls of others.

This is how they decided upon the name Soul4Soul.

All Seventh-Day Adventists, each member got his start singing in church. Though they are not born-again Christians, the morals and values they have learnt are deeply embedded within them.

The members of Soul4Soul revealed that since the inception of the group there have been challenges. When they just started singing, they had to work on their harmony. Nowadays they work on ensuring they remain among the best. "To stay on top of your game you have to give and give and expect to give more," said Williams.

Album

While the group has many fans, it is still trying to establish itself and become more popular across the island. As a result, even though it is working on an album it is not its main focus at this point. "We are just trying to get some singles out, so we can introduce ourselves to others. We want to cover some corners first," said Jobson. The group members believe that by properly introducing themselves to more Jamaicans they will forestall questions such as 'Who is Soul4Soul?', 'What do they have to bring to the table?' and 'What kind of songs do they sing?'

The group has released a few singles, the latest being Cherish. They have also released In a Taxi, Don't Go and At the Movies, with Iyahblazze.

Soul4Soul is especially pleased with their collaboration with Iyahblazze. The group had just completed a show at a resort at about 1 a.m. when the owner of the band they performed with, Lincoln Thomas, said he had an idea. It was a collaboration between the group and Iyahblazze, who was at the venue on that particular night.

Tired and groggy, they agreed and got to work right away until about three that morning. Today, a music video has been made for the single, and it is in heavy rotation on the airwaves. "We are very proud of that song, because some us could hardly talk that night," revealed Pearson.

Variety of shows

The group has performed at a variety of shows, such as 'Nyammins and Jammins', 'Tribute to Peter Tosh', the 'Jamaica Jazz and Blues Festival', 'Riding West' and Bob Marley's Birthday Bash. At shows such as 'Riding West', many of the patrons were really anticipating dancehall acts. However, Brissette and Pearson hastened to explain that Soul4Soul is versatile and can reach just about any audience.

"We can sing for ladies and we can sing for the men on the street who are used to hearing a deejay," said Pearson.

The group has just returned from a trip to Europe, where they performed in Vienna, Austria, singing to an audience comprising about 17 different European nations for three hours. Among their memories are the people's love for reggae. "They love reggae music. If you na say reggae, you na say nothing," said Pearson. They also spoke of the blistering cold. "Stepping out of the plane was like stepping into a fridge," said Williams.

The group members write most of their own songs and although they realise that in today's market 'gangster' sells, they have no intentions of penning violent lyrics. They all agree that they could easily write songs of a violent nature, which would perhaps make them more popular. However, they prefer to maintain their integrity, knowing that they can be proud of their music at the end of the day.

We can make a change

"My mother always said the bad is always easy to follow, but that's not what we want to do at the end of the day. There's no substance there," said Jobson. "We believe we can make a change," added Brissette.

In the future, Williams hopes the group will collaborate with Shaggy and Pearson is considering production later in life. However, one thing is certain; they do not intend to ever give up music. "We can never retire from singing. Retiring is not an option. The great Alton Ellis died in it and that's how we will go out," said Brissette.