MIKEY DREAD – ‘LIFE IS A STAGE’
(Dread at the Controls)
For a man who has made reggae his business for over thirty years, Mikey Dread shows no signs of slowing down. In fact, the opposite would be more accurate with the arrival of his twenty-second, official ‘Dread at the Controls’ release – ‘Life is a Stage’.
Recorded at Anchor Studio, the “Rolls Royce of Studios” in Jamaica and mixed at Bob Marley’s famous Tuff Gong studio, ‘Life is a Stage’ absorbs all of the musicianship and energy from those arenas and moulds them into what can be best described as a connoisseur’s release.
Each of the fifteen tracks on ‘Life is a Stage’ have been created by names that are pillars in the foundation of reggae music and ones most likely to be inducted in a reggae ‘Hall of Fame’. Musicians like Sly Dunbar, Fully Fullwood, Dalton Browne, Larry Professor “Bassie,” Flabba Holt, Lincoln “Style” Scott, Glen Browne, ‘Sticky’ Thompson, Deadley Headley, Bongo Herman and Robbie Lynn are all featured, keeping in mind that some of these same artists combined their talents on Mikey’s world renown 1980 classic album ‘World War III’. With this fresh release, Mikey has come full circle, assembling those same “founding father’s of reggae” once again to provide us with another, authentic reggae gem.
Mikey incorporates a multitude of themes on ‘Life is a Stage’ from rasta love on “Dread next Door”, black consciousness on “Point of View” to the social ill’s of human “Barcoding” and “Stem Cells”. The addition of back up vocalists ‘Brady’ Ellendre Walters, ‘Grace’ Sonia Spence and Chantelle Ernandez provide perfect harmony alongside Mikey’s natural unique voice and are effective throughout.
Fans of vintage Mikey will love the rock and swing of “Soundbwoy Special”, complete with trademark sound effects and will no doubt be familiar with his now crowd pleasing teaser “Pound a Weed” sung to rhythm of Dennis Brown’s “Have You Ever” classic hit.
As always, Mikey’s earnest approach and devotion to deliver his reggae music directly to his fans will keep him on the road promoting this album during 2007. Mikey is planning to tour the U.S. and Europe again this year with the ‘Dread at the Controls’ band and has launched his first ‘Dread at the Controls’ podcast in February 2007; details of which can be found at www.mikeydread.com
‘Life is a Stage’ is a must have Mikey Dread recording.
Track Listing:
01. Praise Jah Jah
02. Life is a Stage
03. Pound a Weed
04. Destiny
05. Backstage Pass
06. Barcoding
07. Teenage Pregnancy
08. I’m not the kind
09. Oh no
10. Soundbwoy Special
11. Dread next Door
12. Passing Through
13. First Generation
14. Point of View
15. Stem Cells
‘Life is a Stage’
Vocals – Mikey Dread
Drums – Sly Dunbar, Odel Johnson, Lloyd ‘Junior’ Richards, Lincoln ‘Style’ Scott, Santa Davis
Bass – Flabba Holt, Larry ‘Professor’ Silvera, Glen Browne, Fully Fullwood
Guitar -Dalton Browne, Leebert ‘Gibby’ Morrison, Tony Chin, Lenford Richards
Keyboards – Lloyd ‘Obeah’ Denton, Robbie Lynn, Tony ‘Asher’ Brissett, Franklyn ‘Bubbler’ Waul
Saxophone – ‘Deadley’ Headley Bennett, Everton Gayle
Trombone – Evral Gayle, Andrew Stoch
Trumpet – Johnny ‘Dizzy’ Moore
Percussion – Uzziah ‘Sticky’ Thompson, Bongo Herman, Sly Dunbar, Sky Juice
Back up vocals – ‘Brady’ Ellendre Walters, Chantelle Ernandez, “Grace” Sonia Spence
by TREVOR HOLLAND
CONTACT:
Dread at the Controls, Inc.
Monika Campbell
954-326-6621
www.myspace.com/lifeisastagecd
[email protected]
www.mikeydread.com
Contact:
Jobe Enterprises
P.O. Box 600542
Dallas, Texas 75360-0542
www.mikeydread.com
www.innervisionsreggae.com
www.dubmusiccom
www.mackieconscious.com