Prezident Brown releases new album

While he did not have the chart hits like some of his contemporaries, the latter released well-received albums on Runn Records, an independent label based in Maastricht, Netherlands.

The self-described chanter is promoting ‘Hook, Line And Sinker’, his latest album, which was released on October 30 by AXX Records. Prezident Brown co-produced the album with Devon Bradshaw, who played bass on the 10-song set.

On ‘Hook, Line And Sinker’, Prezident Brown projects uplifting messages which some critics say are overshadowed by the new wave of dancehall artistes in Jamaica.

“Positive themes are not lacking in contemporary reggae, a lot of great artistes and producers are still making music, but there’s a weird vibration overwhelmingly shadowing and shifting the positivity of the Jamaican culture overall,” he reasoned.

‘Hook, Line And Sinker’ is dominated by roots numbers like the title song. There is also ‘One More Time’, a ska ditty that recalls early sound system days when artistes toasted to horn-hooked beats.

The songs were recorded between 2006 and 2009 in Portland parish, eastern Jamaica. Prezident Brown worked with The Jahpostles, a band co-founded by Bradshaw and his (late) brother Anthony, who played guitar. Their nucleus backed Burning Spear during the 1980s, and were Garnet Silk’s band at the time of the singer’s death in December, 1994.

Guitarist Ian “Beezy” Coleman, drummers Donovan Miller and Courtney Diedrik, keyboardist Ackeen Johnson, trombonist Everald Gayle, saxophonist Everton Gayle and trumpeter Ben Thompson, also played on ‘Hook, Line And Sinker’.

According to Prezident Brown, the new album is different from his previous set, ‘Roots Hop Reggae (In Your Box’) which came out in 2024.

“This features a broader range of music! From roots-reggae to dancehall to ska,” he said.

Prezident Brown was born Fitz Albert Cotterell in Clarendon parish, central Jamaica. He started his career in the 1980s on a sound system in the Ocho Rios area, owned by Jack Ruby, best known for producing Burning Spear’s epic ‘Marcus Garvey’ album.

Many of his songs during the 1990s were produced by Barry O’Hare, and released by Runn Records. Those can be heard on albums like ‘Big Bad and Talented’ and ‘Prezident Selections’, which helped introduce Prezident Brown to audiences in Europe and the US West Coast, where he retains a loyal following.

(Photo contributed)