MUCH has been made about British soul singer Joss Stone being named ‘Reggae Artist of The Year’ by Billboard Magazine for the album Water for Your Soul.
With all the furore over that title, Stone, showing her dancehall/roots chops on the song Harry’s Symphony, has gone largely unnoticed.
The uptempo number from Water for Your Soul hears her giving shout-outs to songs like Cocoa Tea’s Young Lover.
Joss Stone
The 28-year-old Grammy winner also ‘touches’ Barrington Levy’s On The Telephone, Be Careful by Matthew McAnuff and Inner Circle’s Bad Boys.Young Lover gets the lion’s share of attention on Harry’s Symphony. Cocoa Tea, who recorded it for producer Lloyd ‘King Jammys’ James in 1987, said he was recently made aware that Stone ‘used’ parts of the song.
“I haven’t heard from her people but I’ve contacted my publisher and they’re dealing with it,” he told the Jamaica Observer.
Cocoa Tea believes a high-profile artiste like Stone doing reggae is a shot in the arm for the music and Jamaican artists.
“Anything like dis good fi di music. I nuh inna di crab inna barrel thing yuh nuh,” he said. “I hear people a cuss ‘bout dis Billboard thing, but to be honest, a people like she keep the music alive.”
In December, Billboard named Stone as its leading reggae artist for 2015 based on sales of Water for Your Soul. The album sold 29,000 copies according to sales tracker SoundScan.
That triggered controversy among reggae fans who claim that Stone, a soul singer, did not deserve the ‘best reggae artist’ accolade.
Young Lover is one of Cocoa Tea’s biggest hits. It was recorded at the height of his hit-making run and remains part of his live set.
While commending Stone’s attempt at reggae, he is not impressed by Harry’s Symphony.
“It cyaan compare to the original dem — is apples to oranges, but dat is not the point. At least she show appreciation,” he said.
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