Fireball Crew returns to Shantytown
Deejay Suga Roy has never hid his affection for songs from reggae’s classic periods. On his latest production, he pays homage to one of the music’s great songs.
Suga Roy and his longtime sparring partner, singer Conrad Crystal, put a fresh spin on Desmond Dekker’s Shanty Town, with help from singer Zareb and deejay Busy Signal.
The self-produced song is on his Fireball Records.
“After all the years wi doing music, mi jus’ feel the time was right to a add new vibe to the Suga Roy an’ Conrad Crystal thing,” said Suga Roy. “Dat’s how Zareb an’ ‘Busy’ come in.”
Shanty Town also showcases the House Of Riddim band from Austria, which backs many reggae artistes who perform in that country. It is the lead single from what is projected to be Fireball Records’ second album, scheduled for release in early 2016.
The label’s debut album, Meditation, came out last year.
The lanky Suga Roy launched Fireball Records in 2007. Its best known release to date has been Good Cop, Bad Cop by Anthony B.
Recently, he formed the Fireball Crew which includes 50-year-old Crystal (who had a big hit in 1986 with True Love); Zareb, who has toured with Fantan Mojah; and singer Dasia.
All are featured on the upcoming album which Suga Roy describes as a “tribute to the veterans”. The follow-up to Shanty Town is a cover of Jacob Miller’s Mixed-up Moods.
From Racecourse in Clarendon, Suga Roy has been recording since 1992. He has done songs for top producers including Philip ‘Fatis’ Burrell and Bobby ‘Bobby Digital’ Dixon as well as European labels.
The Fireball Crew are scheduled to do a series of shows in California in December.
— Howard Campbell