Reggae star Bitty McLean and award-winning director Fredi Nwaka bring visuals to life for the artist’s cover of the Bob Andy classic “Let Them Say.”
Featuring a young musician busking in the popular UK community of Ladbroke Grove (Fidel Elliott-Proctor), the contrast between his love of music and providing for his family plays out on the screen. The visuals continue with clips of Bitty singing in the studio, while viewers see cameo appearances by award-winning director Fredi Nwaka.
Fredi Nwaka, writer, producer, and film director, is based in the UK. Taken from the ‘We Remember Bob Andy’ album, “Let Them Say” is the first release from this Dean Fraser-produced project due for wide release Q1, 2023.
Bitty McLean Covers Bob Andy’s ‘Let Them Say’
Bitty McLean’s cover of Bob Andy’s 1968 hit “Let Them Say” is the first single from the forthcoming album, We Remember Bob Andy, a tribute featuring 15 artists covering the late Jamaican singer/songwriter’s catalog, to be released during Reggae Month – February 2023.
“Let Them Say” will be released as a single with a music video on Bob Andy’s birthday, October 28th, 2022. The video, directed by Fredi Nwaka, portrays the struggles of a modern-day busker in the streets of London, whose love for his family and his life in music gets him through his hardships – a heartwarming, contemporary interpretation of the Bob Andy original.
Produced by Dean Fraser, We Remember Bob Andy will be available on vinyl, digital platforms and as a double CD. The album will include Bob Andy cover versions from Beres Hammond, Tarrus Riley, Luciano, Romain Virgo Nadine Sutherland, Richie Spice, and others, extended with nine instrumental versions.
Bob Andy, born Keith Anderson, is celebrated as one of Jamaica’s greatest songwriters, with a catalog including tracks like “Too Experienced,” “My Time,” “Sun Shines For Me,” “Fire Burning,” and “I’ve Got To Go Back Home,” among dozens of evergreen anthems.
Bitty Mclean’s first influence of Jamaican Music was courtesy of his father’s sound system CWS, Chelmsley Wood Sound. His professional career started in 1990 as a sound engineer with Birmingham group UB40, leading him to begin recording and producing his debut album in 1993, scoring 3 UK Top 10 chart hits.
Bitty resurfaced in 2004, producing, recording and mixing the acclaimed On Bond Street album, a heavily nostalgic release that leaned into the riddim catalog of the late Duke Reid and his Treasure Isle label. Tracks including “Walk Away From Love” and “Baby Tonight” have become standards ever since.
McLean’s popular “Made To Fall In Love” with Sly & Robbie was released on VP Records’ Reggae Gold 2019 collection.
