Veteran roots rocker Prezident Brown went to the vaults for ‘Hook, Line and Sinker’, his new album, which will be released on October 30 by Axx Records. It contains songs recorded almost 20 years ago with the Jahpostles band.
It hits the market two years after ‘Roots Hop Reggae (In Your Box’), the chanter’s most experimental album. That collection was recorded with musicians from California where Prezident Brown has lived for many years.
“‘Hook Line and Sinker’ is different from my previous album because all the songs were recorded in Jamaica, between 2006 and 2009. Plus, it features a broader range of music, from roots-reggae to dancehall to ska,” said Prezident Brown.
Bass guitarist Devon Bradshaw and his brother Anthony on guitar were the nucleus of Jahpostles, which formed in Portland parish, eastern Jamaica. The lineup also included drummer Nelson Miller with whom they were members of Burning Spear’s band for several years.
Jahpostles were also the backing band for Garnet Silk at the time of his death. Devon Brashaw, Miller (who died in 2019) and rhythm guitarist Ian “Beezy” Coleman of Ziggy Marley and The Melody Makers fame, played on ‘Hook, Line and Sinker’.
Prezident Brown disclosed that the album has a consistent message.
“It is important for me to project positive themes in my music because I present what I represent and represent what I present as a service to the people who hear me,” he said.
Originally from Clarendon parish in central Jamaica, Prezident Brown was part of the roots-reggae revival that transformed the bawdy image of dancehall music during the early 1990s. He worked mainly with producer Barry O’Hare on albums like ‘Big Bad and Talented’ and ‘Prezident Selection’.
