On ‘Dancehall Ball’, his latest song, A J Brown goes lovers rock, arguably the most popular of reggae’s offshoots. Produced by Danny Breakenridge for South Florida-based Upstairs Music, the single was released on November 13.
Brown, who is lead vocalist for the Grammy-nominated Third World band, was approached by Breakenridge to do justice to the song which Breakenridge also wrote. He liked what he heard and channeled one of lovers rock’s greatest exponents for ‘Dancehall Ball’.
“I listened to the track and lyrics…They felt balanced like a complete narrative. I drew on the lover’s rock era of reggae with an essence of Dennis Brown,” said Brown.
This is his latest collaboration with Upstairs Music, having previously collaborated with Breakenridge on a cover of Louis Armstrong’s ‘Wonderful World’.
Born in Montego Bay, A J Brown developed his skill as a live act in that city’s tourist hotels. Prior to joining Third World in 2014, he had hit songs with ‘When You Love’, ‘Love People’ and ‘Father and Friend’. ‘Shots Of Love’, his fifth solo album, was released in 2023.
Multi-instrumentalist Paul Gauntlet created the music for ‘Dancehall Ball’. He is accompanied by Yishka on saxophone, Sons of Mystro on violins, and Tafina Wilson who does harmony. The song was mixed and mastered by the Heavybeat Crew.