On my new episode, I bring the spotlight to island reggae music with Kolohe Kai and more reggae sounds from around the world.
Years in the making, Hazel Eyes captures Kolohe Kai’s emergence in life. The album is inspired by his life passions. He explains, “From the ocean with its soothing power, to the faith that anchors my soul. From my intense desire to help others feel beautiful, to my vows to the greatest wife in the world. This album represents all of me. Every crevice of my heart was emptied into these lyrics. The journey of these past few years has been a hike to remember, filled with important lessons. I hope it inspires anyone listening to grab hold of true love and happiness.”
In addition to the ten original tracks, for the first time ever Kolohe Kai includes on the album one cover song, a reggae rendition of Stevie Wonder’s classic “Isn’t She Lovely.” In this episode, we are going to listen to:
The show continues with Wesli, a Haitian musician who unites Haitian vodoun, twoubadou and rara with reggae, Afrobeat, electronic music and more. In 2019, Wesli received a Canadian Juno Award for World Music Album of the Year. The single "Bontan Iyalélé" features AfrotroniX, a pioneer of the blend of African and electronic music.
Are your feeling the great vibes? Now let’s take a listen to Mista Savanna’s new project, Havana Meets Kingston, Part 2. According to Afropop Worldwide, this new album released on the Cumbancha Label ( I love Cumbancha) is “an ingenious, varied and rollicking set of tunes featuring some extraordinary artists, including the legendary Jamaican rhythm section Sly and Robbie, and Cuban funk rising star Cimafunk." An epic set of 15 tracks, Havana Meets Kingston Part 2 unites the deep roots grooves of reggae, dancehall and rocksteady with the scorching soul of Cuban son, timba and salsa. The Havana Meets Kingston live project will be touring this summer in Europe and later in 2022 and early 2023 in North America.
I hope you enjoy listening to this global fusion as much as I enjoyed recording it for you.
One World. One Beat.
DJ Globally Carla from KZSU’s Global Ginga