Ed Robinson remembers when dancehall music was enjoyable, and artists did not take themselves too seriously. Somewhere along the way, things changed.
The veteran singer released ‘The Gemini EP’ in June. It has seven songs including ‘I Am Not That Guy’ which topped the South Florida Reggae Chart for several weeks.
One of his objectives with the project was to bring a level of sanity to dancehall, a genre that has seemingly lost its way. “It has lost the fun moments, which was the essence of dancehall in my generation, which is a place where we would go to hear new songs and vibe to them. That no longer exists. Now, it’s misery to my generation,” said Robinson.
‘A Friday’ is another original song from ‘The Gemini EP’ which contains covers of Bob Marley’s ‘Guiltiness’, Boyz II Men’s ‘Mama’ and ‘Second Chance’, originally done by .38 Special.
Robinson initially made his name as a drummer on the Jamaica tourist scene. He played in several bands including an aggregation led by legendary bassist Jackie Jackson.
His breakthrough as a vocalist came in the early 1990s with a reggae cover of Bob Dylan’s ‘Knocking on Heaven’s Door’. The success of that song earned him a recording deal with MCA Records.