Jamaica Gleaner

Quickies
Published: Friday | February 3, 20121 Comment
'Piece A Di Wine' for YVAs

Reggae/dancehall artiste Sanjay and ace deejay Beenie Man have teamed up to drop a collaboration called Piece A Di Wine. The dancehall song will be released at the Youth View Awards after-party tomorrow and will also feature on iTunes shortly after.

Sanjay hit it big in 2007 with Man Of My Word and has since consistently followed up with both dancehall and reggae songs.

As the carnival season draws near, Sanjay believes this song will definitely become a club banger. "I went lyrical on the last single, Harder They Fall, and now I'm going back to the ladies. This song has all the elements to become an anthem - an infectious chorus, good lyrics, Beenie Man's swag and star power and a hard-hitting, Washroom-produced, authentic dancehall rhythm. So, ladies, just get ready fi wine," he said.

Piece A Di Wine is produced by Conroy of Washroom Entertainment for Sanjay's Portland Cottage Productions.

Sanjay, Beenie Man to drop hot track

Noted lyricist Sanjay and ace deejay Beenie Man have teamed up to drop a hot track calledPiece A Di Wine. The dancehall song will be released at the Youth View Awards after party this Saturday and will also feature on iTunes shortly after.

Piece A Di Wineis another notch in Sanjay's cap as he continues to release infectious songs that have become anthems on the ground. Sanjay hit it big in 2007 withMan Of My Wordand has since consistently followed up with both dancehall and reggae numbers which have made him a perennial staple on the local music scene.

Piece A Di Wineis another in a slew of creditable collaborations by Sanjay who in 2002 debuted withStrictly Physicalfeaturing Tami Chynn, a song which preceded collabs with Vybz Kartel, Ce'Cile and Aidonia, to name a few.

Based on his lyrical talents and niche appeal Sanjay is able to pick from the crème de la crème of Jamaican artistes with which to collaborate. Now he adds this track with Beenie Man to his repertoire.

Piece A Di Winewas produced by Conroy from Washroom Entertainment for Sanjay's Portland Cottage Productions. The track features Sanjay in his supreme lyrical element belting out lines such as: "Me have di thuggin, huggin, luvin weh she a bawl fi/So, come link up gimme a small pree/Me mek you see the light, like dis a diwali."

With lyrics like that it's no wonder Sanjay is rated as one of the top lyricists in the game and one who always has fans on edge expecting his next twist of metaphors.

Beenie Man, on the other hand, comes with his signature swag; laying down confident lines that have endeared him to the dancehall masses for over two decades. The dancehall king heralds his arrival on the track by confessing: "Gal you see that text deh, me meant it, just the way me sent it/Gal the way you wine, gal you gimme the eccentric/You want a private-I so you called it, no small fit/Obey you thirst mek me quench it."

Beenie Man and Sanjay are abalancedcombination of real dancehall flavour with lyrical depth on a solid Washroom beat.

Piece A Di Wineempathises Sanjay's lyrical prowess and dexterity and also shows that the artiste continues to release relevant material for today's dancehall audience. Sanjay believes that this song will be a club banger that will have dancehall fans moving."I went lyrical on the last single, Harder They Fall and now I'm going back to the ladies! This song has all the elements to make for a dancehall party anthem: an infectious chorus, good lyrics, Beenie Man' swag and star power and a hard hitting Washroom produced authentic dancehall rhythm!! Ladies just get ready fi wine!" he said.

CLAUDIA CLAIMS REGGAE

Fast rising singing sensation Claudia Edward has claimed reggae as her musical love and proclaims this with the release of two new singles: This Love and Loving You. Both songs are being released as she seeks to conquer new ears and claim a reggae fan base.

The St Lucian based artiste is very excited about her foray into the genre and says she expects people will warm to her style: “Reggae is in my blood and is a genre that I have been singing since I was a child. Last year I did a lot of work with dancehall star Ce’Cile who actually wrote both songs. We recorded the vocals at Big Yard Studio in Kingston getting the support from some of the best in the reggae business”.

Claudia says the response to the two tracks have been positive and motivates her to delve deeper into the reggae genre: “I have been getting a lot of reviews from not only Jamaicans but my fans all over the Caribbean and it has been wonderful the way that the songs have accepted. When I posted the songs on my twitter and on my facebook people were so excited by them and kept asking when I was going to do a reggae album”

The artiste who is a classically trained singer has been performing professionally since the age of 14, starting out as a lead choir singer and then moving into the hotel circuit. She is very popular in her home country of St Lucia and has in the past been nominated for “Best Female Artist of the year” in the “St. Lucia Fine Arts Awards. A regular on festivals in that region having performed on the St Lucia Jazz Festival in 2002, 2009 and 2010 as well as Grenada’s 2003 Spice Festival, Claudia wants to move to another stage of her career with two well produced and delivered reggae tracks.

Ce’Cile Charlton who is known for her dancehall hits Coffee, Goody Goody and Hot Like We as well as for reggae hits such as When You’re Gone and Missing You, says Claudia is a gem: “Claudia is very talented and I am happy to have worked with her. The two songs that she is releasing now are good examples of how good her voice is and I know that she will do well as a reggae artiste. While we were recording the songs I was amazed at how naturally her voice complimented the reggae beats and hearing the finished product brings pleasure to my ears.”

Claudia for her part is happy to have gotten the chance to work with Ce’Cile: “Working with Ce’Cile was a pleasure and the whole team at Big Yard really made the music that much better. I am sure that going forward I will be working much more with them as the music we produce is getting a good reception Caribbean-wide”

Claudia’s This Love is on the Everest Riddim and her second track Loving You is on the Orion Riddim. Both songs have been released to radio in Jamaica and are available on itunes.

O'Neil Duncan - What We Need Is Love

Ce'Cile improves International stock, while keeping her 'street cred'

Few Jamaican artistes have been able to consistently churn out relevant material locally, maintaining a large and loyal fan base, while at the same time maintaining international appeal. Ce'Cile is one. Known as the 'Bad Gyal' of Jamaican music, Ce'Cile is fresh and clean with a new album called Jamaicanization, new videos and new dancehall tracks which will be essential to any popular DJ's playlist.

Over the past months, the artiste has maintained her presence locally with dancehall tracks such as Woot Woot (Smoking rhythm), Pree Mi (Blaze Fia rhythm) and, more recently, Tip Me (Green Faces rhythm). On the reggae side, she has released heavy hitters like When You're Gone (Cardiac Bass rhythm), Rise Up (Message rhythm) and Missing You (Monte Carlo rhythm). These are just some examples of the way Ce'Cile has managed to straddle both the reggae and dancehall genres.

The artiste has just recently premiered the video for When You're Gone/Missing You.

Not only has Ce'Cile been dominating the local airwaves with some hot tracks, but she has also been present on the local stage, being a crowd puller at shows such as Reggae Sumfest 2011, LIME Fashion Nite Out, LIME 'Skool Aid', and several other locals shows. However, Ce'Cile's presence is always mostly felt on the international stage.

Ce'Cile has had a constant presence in Europe and the Caribbean throughout her career, and this year has been no different. The artiste is a regular on the stage and in the clubs in countries such as Germany, France, Netherlands, Amsterdam, French Guiana, and Africa.

European tour

Ce'Cile kicked off the 'Jamaicanization European Tour' with performances at a host of festivals, including Summer Jam (Koln Germany), Juicy Beats Festival (Dortmund, Germany) Berlin Reggae Fest (YAMM Berlin, Germany) Fest in the Park (Belgium) and Amsterdam Reggae Fest (Amsterdam). Ce'Cile also made stops in French Guiana and Belize, and will continue with stops in places such as Guyana, St Kitts and St Maarten in the coming weeks.

Ce'Cile is most popular in Germany and has been one of the most dominant Jamaican artistes on the German charts for several years, and the only Jamaican female artiste on said charts.

She is nominated for Africa's Channel O awards in the category of Most Gifted Raggae Dancehall Music Video for She Say Dat (remix), a collaboration done with Kenyan artiste Wyre.

Ce'Cile shot the video with Wyre while in Kenya in March of this year.

The artiste has released Jamaicanization on iTunes and via mobile APPs. The album, which was released August 19 in Germany, has been previewed in magazines such as Grazia, and the German Playboy.

Ce'Cile is also one of the few Jamaican Dancehall artistes utilising Album Apps and her full album plus lyrics are available as application download for Android and iPhone users.

Jamicaicanization, not yet released in Jamaica, contains 16 tracks, 13 of which are new. So far, the reviews have been excellent.

Reggaeville.de states: "In fact, Jamaicanization is an album to listen to from beginning to end. It works for dancehall fanatics, it works for (more or less) mainstream audience, it works in a club as well as a background soundtrack while having breakfast, doing ironing, or whatever."

Unitedreggae.com says: "The album is, arguably, her most high-profile release to date and is also going to have a legitimate claim to being her finest piece of work to date."

Jamaicanization has also been doing well on the charts. Two of the songs on the album, Step Aside (Beep Beep) and Singing This Song, are No. 10 and 11 on the MTV German Black Charts, respectively. Ce'Cile is sitting pretty in the middle of the chart and is ahead of artistes such as Lil Wayne, Drake, 50 Cent and Mary J. Blige, Singing This Song peaked at No 4 on said charts.

Jamaican fans can go to purchase or listen to the album at iTunes US or visit www.jamaicanization.com for more information.

Duncan Sings 'Life Music'

Published: Saturday | September 3, 2011 Jamaica Gleaner

The cover of the album 'I Know', the first solo effort of O'Neil Duncan.- Contributed

Life music singer O'Neil Duncan is returning to the local music scene with a new album, dubbed I Know. The first single on the new album is dubbed What We Need is Love, which points almost directly to the album's theme.

Duncan, who is no stranger to the music business, started out when he formed a group called Accapella Flames while attending Cornwall College in the early 1990s. After moving to Cayman a few years ago to teach, he joined another group called Clarity, which went on to win the gospel song competition in the Cayman Islands in 2006. The group also had success with the release of an album in the same year. Duncan was the principal writer and arranger of eight of that album's 10 songs.

versatile artiste

Duncan has proven himself to be a versatile artiste and has shared the stage with the likes of Cece Winans, Acappella, FC Barnes and Kirk Franklyn, to name a few. Now, Duncan presents his first solo album. I Know, which is scheduled for release on October 1, is packed with a host of inspirational treats, such as the song from which the album takes its name, The Wind Blows and Go Forth.

According to Duncan, while he has been categorised as a gospel singer, he sees himself as someone who sings life music. "The first single off the album, which is called What We Need is Love, is a good listen and will show you that this music is not just for Christians but has a wider appeal. When I write a song, I am trying to reach the man, woman or child on the street who is having personal issues. I seek to be an inspiration to them, and when they listen to my songs they are supposed to feel hope and understand that someone understands the plight they are facing in their life," said Duncan.

Duncan said he chose What We Need is Love as the first single on the album because of the situation in Jamaica. "When you live in Cayman and you watch the news and read the papers, sometimes you want to cry when you see how our paradise is slowly being destroyed.

I know from experience that love can conquer all evil and that's why I chose this song to lead the album. What Jamaica really needs right now is love," said Duncan. The video for What We Need is Love was shot in Coronation Market last week by ace video director Asha of Fareye Films, and will be released locally and intentionally in a few weeks.

YANIQUE RISES FROM MAGNUM KINGS AND QUEENS

Yanique is clearly a rising star and continues to make her mark in the media…

Kingston, Jamaica August 12, 2011:- Popular host of Magnum Kings and Queens of Dancehall Yanique Barrett has grown from strength to strength since cementing her role on Jamaica’s number one Dancehall show.

The young talent has made several big moves recently such as the hosting of Ne-Yo ’s Compound Island concert in Negril over the emancipation weekend and becoming a personality on hit Jamaican radio Fame FM. The curvaceous diva is excited about her recent career moves: “I am so thrilled at the recent happenings, the Ne-Yo concert was big and now I am on Fame FM; it’s just excitement all around”

The Champaign Life concert which was held at Jungle in Negril over the Emancipation weekend was part of a two part series which began on Friday July 29 with a ultra-VIP welcome party at Boardwalk Village and The Champagne Life concert on Saturday July 30 which featured several of Jamaica’s top artistes such as Hezron, Beenie Man, Voicemail and the big man himself Ne-Yo.

Over the last few weeks Yanique has also been heard on Fame FM hosting the popular program E-Blaze. She has interviewed top artistes such as Tiffa, Ne-Yo, D’Angel, Voicemail and several others. The newly minted radio personality is happy at the chance of working at such a great radio institution: “Fame FM is foundation radio. Every day that I go to Fame I learn something new and it’s always an exciting experience. I want to make a positive contribution to the station and I am so happy that they saw talent in me and had the faith that I could work on such a popular and reputable station”.

Yanique is clearly a rising star and continues to make her mark in the media and on the party landscape. Yanique is booked to host the International Reggae Wine Festival this weekend plus several events in the coming months and listen to Fame FM where the curvaceous diva continues to make her mark and is always blazing.