This November 2015, the Costa Rican reggae band Talawa reggae army releases it’s new album entitled #ReggaeRevival. This represents a new phase of the band, its efforts to bring the reggae sounds of the 70’s to the present, that sound that captivated them several years ago.
The production process of the album includes the study and implementation of these sounds, and the use of instruments and techniques from the Jamaica of those years, using equipment with manufacturing years previous to 1980 exclusively. It also seeks to be a tribute to all the artistic and cultural movement that has developed in Jamaica in the recent years, and which from they took the name, as well as “Exodus” the best album of the last century according to Time Magazine, and the album that accompanied the guys throughout the production process and in which the album’s art are based.
The whole process took about five years to find the desired result, we worked in 8 studios in 5 different countries (Costa Rica, Jamaica, USA, France and England), and it was mixed and mastered entirely analog way at Rolling Lion Studio by Daniel Boyle, who was nominated for the 2015 Grammys for his production “Back On The Controls” from Lee “Scratch” Perry and who’s currently working on the next Max Romeo LP.
The album features the collaboration of renowned artists on the international reggae scene, as the case of their first single “Missing You (Mi Amor)” which includes the participation of the melodious voice of Erica Newell (The Melody Makers, The Original Wailers, Stephen Marley, among others). Launched in 2014, it was the song that opens doors of highly relevant international media as Reggaeville from Germany, PelaGatos of Argentina, Brazil’s Reggae Pelo Reggae, World-A-Reggae and Irie Magazine from The Netherlands, Romania’s Reggae Zone, among many others. In addition to the collaboration of Fitzroy “Dave Prime Time” Green of Alborosie’s Schenguen Clan, virtuous Jamaican drummer who was in charge of the drums recording in the mythic Tuff Gong Studio, once property of Bob Marley himself in Kingston, Jamaica.
Following this pattern, “When Me Seh” features Patko, a reggae artist from France who is also promoting his latest material “Maroon”. He along with the band expressed the way in which a rastaman live with his environment. Ganjaman invites us to know the way in which Talawa coexists with the holy weed, with the collaboration of Mr. Amlak Tafari, bassist of the legendary band Steel Pulse, and who played for the very first along with Fitzroy Green on drums, a 100% explosive combination. Love to Love features Dax Lion, from Kingston, Jamaica, a mix of voices that invites to join the love within us as a necessary daily living feeling.
Cool & Calm is the first song in #ReggaeRevival, with the ever present message of unity, love and positivity that Talawa take about in all their songs. It calls us to fight for everything we want, to see the horizon full of opportunities and to be able to feel that Jah bless us all everyday. Your Love, a prayer to the Almighty Jah, who gives us life and to whom we owe the honor of being present with our loved ones and commune with nature.
Waiting For You, inspired by the desire to be forever close to the person we love, expressing the feelings and the reason why this being is there… to write a story of eternal love. While True Love confirms the feeling of love to that person, and exposes the fear of losing it.
Talawa Reggae, as his lyrics says, hits us really hard. This is a very heavy combination of reggae, rock and rap, with a power that convinces us that this album is a really elaborated work, with heavy riffs and the collaboration of Ali Amiri from Watusi band (Texas, U.S.A.) to end a song that make us want to continue this journey into the present past. Entering in a spiritual place in praise of Jah Rastafari, El Amor De Jah presents a fusion of reggae and gospel, which makes everybody’s heart vibrate to it when you pay close attention. This last song was chosen as the second single from the album, and its release was internationally well received by the family.
#ReggaeRevival then, includes 10 original tracks, 6 dub versions of some of these tracks and a acapella as a bonus track that will definitely leave everybody with their mouths open, and exposes the incredible talent of Rica Newell. It will be available from Sunday November 15, 2015, and will be accompanied by a new website: talawamusic.com which seeks to be the center of the band’s web operations and a more direct point of contact with fans and collaborators. Besides listening to music and watching videos and/or pictures, we will also have a space dedicated to promoters, producers and media persons in the area of culture and entertainment, the ones interested, will be able to download all necessary materials for the development of their work, plus additional contacts information.
The album will be available on all digital platforms on the web, such as Spotify, iTunes, Amazon, Deezer, Apple Music, YouTube and others. The physical CD copies and various album-related products may also be obtained on the new website, which has the advantage of being able to sell globally with delivery to almost all countries of the world, not to mention that it will be the only place where you can listen to the full phonogram for free and without any interruption, either accessing from a computer or mobile device.
