Fifteen years is a long time between albums, but for Leba Hibbert the wait for her second full-length project is worth the wait. ‘Leba Abel’ is the title of that eight-song set which was released on August 25.
Leba, who completed a 19-show tour of the United Kingdom in May, says, “I have grown a lot. This is a major turning point in my life.
The singer wrote or co-wrote all songs on the album. She also produced six of them, with one, ‘Extreme’, a co-production with her father Toots Hibbert. Toots was the legendary founder of The Maytals, one of reggae’s greatest acts. He died in September 2020 at age 77.
Her father helped guide Leba for most of her career. Those lessons served her well during production for ‘Leba Abel’.
“I’m very confident, but I’m also realising that I have to do this on my own now. At the same time, I have to carry on my father’s legacy,” she said.
‘Intoxicated’, her first album, was released in 2011. Her EP, ‘Into the Lights’, came out in 2023.
‘Extreme’ features Stephen “Cat” Coore, famed guitarist/co-founder of Third World, who died last January. ‘Bless Me’ is a collaboration with Junior Toots, Leba’s brother.
‘Journey’, another song from the album, is a reflection on Leba’s career which effectively started in the 1980s as a member of 54-46, Toots’ harmony trio.
Since 2023, she has toured the UK and the United States as leader of The Maytals Featuring Leba Hibbert.