Universal Reggae from St. Lucia

THE STAR - ST. LUCIA

St. Lucian born Taj Weekes and his band Adowa have just released their latest CD DEIDEM. Weekes is a St. Lucian born and bred roots Reggae artiste whose music stirs thought, provokes discussion and inspires
people to think for themselves. With his soft yet lilting vocals, riding smoothly over some infectious rhythms, the band is poised to add their name to the list of formidable Reggae bands worldwide.

On the nicely packaged DEIDEM (meaning "all of us") released on Taj’s independent label, Jatta Records, the singer brings out the messages of soulful truths to the voiceless and the oppressed, giving Reggae a sound that is refreshing but still universal. The CD’s first single is the beautifully penned Hollow Display which has been released here in St. Lucia to favourable response. It is one of the songs bearing the strongest signs of having cross-over appeal and is an ode to lost love, reminiscent of when the Wailers exposed their frailty towards the emotions of love as opposed to their rebellious roots, rock, Reggae.

DEIDEM opens beautifully with inviting guitar strains which drag you into the rhythm of “Angry Language,” a warm roots- rock track. Then there is “Propaganda War”––a biting take on social injustice whilst “Louisiana” takes a fresh approach on the aftermath of hurricane Katrina. With a haunting piano driven melody, the arrangement is arresting.  “Since Cain,” with its Biblical reference to the first act of violence, laments the endless cycle of brutality while asking what it will take for it to end.

On tracks like “For Today” and “Dark Clouds” with lines like “Spring comes early/autumn’s late/unwelcome winter procrastinates/see the seas have taken over the land/there’s a fleet of ships resting on the
sand/dark clouds don’t always bring rain/but smoke is a sign of fire,” Taj and Adowa prove that their Reggae music is the real deal.

The youngest of ten children, Taj was raised in a household where there was always music around. For him, the radio was a source of untold treasures, playing everything from rock, country, R&B, soul, jazz and more. To him good music was good music, since genres was not part of his mindset. Like many others destined to engage in music, when he was five he was singing in church and by eleven he was composing his own calypso music, an art-form popular in his homeland. His older brother’s immersion in Rastafari later provided Taj with a spiritual awakening and a context for his burgeoning world view.

Taj left home for North America as a teenager to fulfill his musical ambitions and after a stint in Toronto, he went to New York and formed Taj Weekes & Adowa. In 2005, the band released their first album, “Hope & Doubt,” winning extensive radio play, rave reviews in the press and providing Taj with a platform to begin touring from, building extensive followings in New England and on the West Coast.

After completing touring behind “Hope & Doubt,” Taj began to write for his next album. During that period both of his parents died and the new songs were reflecting the sorrow of the time. “I was wallowing in my grief,” Taj explains, “and I wrote a song called ‘Clay Dust To Dust,’ which was incredibly depressing. But it was then I realized that it’s not about me. Sure, I lost two people, but there are millions of people dying every day. So right then I scrapped all the songs I had and wrote 12 new ones. I wrote about the world instead of myself.”

Working quickly and with the confidence that came from his recording and performing experience, the album “DEIDEM” emerged as a “meditation on confronting the fragmentation of the world and the search to give everyone a voice in it,” Taj explains. The album is designed to create conversation where people can come together he says. With a distribution deal in Europe through Sony and touring in the works, 2008 seems very promising for Taj Weekes and Adowa and their impact on the music world will be felt on a global scale. Taj’s commitment to giving a voice to social injustices globally is reinforced through his non-profit organization,  They Often Cry Outreach (TOCO), dedicated to improving the lives of disadvantaged children around the world, via music, soccer programs and more. Taj is hoping to promote his cause in St. Lucia sometime in October, so stay tuned.