Jah 9: New Name in roots-reggae
ONE of the largest crowds seen at a local album launch took place Tuesday at Redbones Blues Café in St Andrew for singer Jah 9’s maiden effort, New Name.
Consistent with her Rastafarian faith, the title track celebrates His Imperial Majesty, Emperor Haile Selassie I of Ethiopia, the Rasta patriarch.
Produced by Rory Gilligan of Stone Love sound system fame, New Name has already attracted favourable response overseas.
On Monday, it was number three and seven respectively, on iTunes charts in France and Switzerland.
“I know this (album) was going to be special because of the care we took when we were putting it together. I feel good about it and this is something I am definitely proud of,” Jah 9 told Splash.
She performed some of the tracks from the album, supported by singers Chronixx and Protojé.
She is part of a robust
roots-reggae revival that also includes Chronixx and Protojé.
At the end of her performance, Jah 9 and Gilligan participated in a question-and-answer segment. The first question was, how the daughter of a Baptist minister found Rastafari. “All of us are Rastafari, black or white. No matter what race. Rastafari is not isolated to any one person, Rastafari is the manifestation of what he wanted me to be,” she responded.