When Clement “Jabba” Gordon decided to cover The Isley Brothers’ ‘This Old Heart of Mine’ (their version is ‘Heart of Mine’), he thought it would be cool to share the mic with a deejay. Preferably an old school toaster.
That slot went to Josey Wales, the self-proclaimed Colonel of dancehall music.
“It was my idea to cover the song. Josey liked the song when he heard it and he said, ‘let’s do it’. Working with Josey was one in a million,” said Gordon, who described their chemistry as ‘blessed.” Their collaboration has paid off, as ‘Heart of Mine’ has got healthy radio coverage in Jamaica.
This is Gordon’s second crack at ‘This Old Heart of Mine’. His solo cover of the soul classic did well in Jamaica several years ago, as did ‘Granny’ and ‘Problems’, two of his previous songs.
Originally from Kingston, Jamaica, Gordon has lived abroad for most of his life, first in Canada, then Detroit. He kept active musically in both locations while maintaining ties with Jamaica.
In recent years, most of his songs including the patriotic ‘Rule the World’ and ‘I Second That Emotion’ have been done in Jamaica, where he has performed on shows such as the Dennis Brown Tribute in February.
