Just In: Label mates Capital Letters and Talisman confirm European dates for 2015 with more to come:
March 20th: Capital Letters at La Grange à Musique ( Creil, 16 boulevard Salvador Allende 60100, France)
March 21 st : Capital Letters and Talisman at De Warande ( Warandestraat 42, 2300 Turnhout, Belgium).
April 3rd : Capital Letters at Canal 93, 63 avenue Jean Jaures, 93000 Bobigny, France).
JB from Capital Letters featured

Review:

‘McLEAN, JEAN’

‘Everlasting’

- Label: ‘Sugar Shack’
- Genre: ‘Reggae’ – Release Date: ’20th October 2014′- Catalogue No: ‘FOD103CD’

Our Rating:
I have been hearing good things about Sugar Shack Records for a while now so it is great to put a voice to the name and the voice in question belongs to Birmingham’s best kept secret, Jean McLean.

Formerly in Sceptre, Sugar Shack had intended to license their album but when they discovered that Jean had been working on an album with Grammy nominated producer Paul Horton (Steel Pulse, Pato Banton, Black Symbol) they made the not too difficult decision to release ‘Everlasting’.

Of the nine vocals on offer, seven are Jean originals so this is very much her album. Meant 4 U is a classic love song and sets the tone nicely for what follows. ‘Ancestors’ is an updated version of the Sceptre song and it’s a belter. Me On My Own brings the trip down a bit with a lower register but boy what a voice. You get the impression that singing is akin to breathing for this woman. Reggaebaby is Jean’s signature track and if it were to get some decent airplay it would crossover for sure.

Waiting In Vain is an exquisitely smooth take on a song that is surely best left in the shower cubicle rather than taken into the vocal booth. Love Me Baby is on a lovers tip with lovely call and response type harmonies, melded with an organ goes barroom piano sound. Whatever, it works. Higher takes us all the way there and surely Jean does not hit that note right at the end! Never Gonna is a message of positivity for all the haters and So Close has got classic written all over it. Things In Life is a cover of the Dennis Brown song that rounds things off nicely before Jean and Sugar Shack keep it real and let the dubs take over, six in total plus a Waiting In Vain instrumental.

It’s hard to tell who will be buying this album, beyond existing fans of Sugar Shack and Jean McLean but if that is the case then it would be a real shame. This is an album I would recommend to people who for whatever reason might be unsure where to start with reggae, and if they gave it a whirl I think they might get hooked.

Capital Letters show confirmed at JA LIVE, GLASGOW on Friday 31st October. Roots and Culture.

Look what we found on the wall in Turtle Bay, Bristol City Centre

Yesterday 29th August Mike Darby Head of Reggae Archive, recorded an interview in Amsterdam with Theo Van Bijnen. Theo started his radio shows on reggae in 1967 and in every way must be the John Peel of reggae in Holland and Belgium.He celebrates his 1800th show this month – you can check out the interview on Monday 1st September – http://www.theovanbijnen.nl/luisteren-listening1-1.html

TALISMAN:  ‘The Dole Age Tour ’ (35 Years of Roots Rock Reggae 1979-2014)  

Fri – 3rd Oct – Buskers, Dundee *

Sat – 4th Oct – Audio, Glasgow *

Thu – 16th Oct – Jazz Cafe, London *

Fri – 17th Oct – Britannia Theatre, Chatham *

Sat – 18th Oct – West Coast Bar, Margate *

Fri – 24th Oct – Barrel House, Totnes

Sat – 25th Oct – Hat Factory, Luton *

Sat – 1st Nov – Arts Centre, Dorchester

Sun – 2nd Nov – Butlins, Minehead *

Fri – 7th Nov – Guildhall, Gloucester  *

Sat – 8th Nov – Oobleck, Birmingham *

Fri – 14th Nov – Pavillion, Exmouth *

Fri – 21st Nov – Thekla, Bristol *

Sat – 22nd Nov – Marrs Bar, Worcester

Sat – 29th Nov – Music Cafe, Leicester *

Fri – 5th Dec – Chinnerys, Southend *

Thu – 11th Dec – Arts Centre, Salisbury

Fri – 12th Dec – The Duchess, York *

Sat – 13th Dec – Hairy Dog, Derby *

Fri – 19th Dec – Pavillion, Falmouth *

Sat – 20th Dec – Sin City, Swansea *

More dates being added

*With Neville Staples

 ‘Nothing Change’ The New 12” Vinyl EP and Download 29^th September 2014

Talisman I-Surrection (Oldwah Deconstruction) is in at Sugar Shack Towers. Release date is 14th July – order from our shop

Back in action:

Jashwha live

Greetings and Salutaions taken from the I-Surrection album