The reggae sounds of Taj Weekes and Adowa take the stage for the next Sunset Concert Series performance at 7 p.m. Saturday at the outdoor  Peg Egan Performing Art Center in Egg Harbor.

Driven to inspire conscious thought and provoke discussion through his poignant poetry and lyrics, Weekes said, “I write from the heart and I speak about issues that move me. I believe that’s what really matters.”

Born and raised on the island of St. Lucia, Weekes grew up the youngest of 10 children in a family where music was ever present. He would painstakingly write down the lyrics from songs he heard, often tinkering with the words in a song to make them his own creation.

“From the time I started writing,” he said, “I did my own thing. I was always attracted to the lyrics in the songs and would listen to people like Lord Kitchener and the Mighty Sparrow. They were like town criers telling the stories of the day. Reggae is what you call the poor man’s cry. It’s music you can sit and listen to. It’s listening music.”

Weekes soon left home to fulfill his musical ambitions in North America and formed his band, Adowa. Together, they unite a social consciousness with a reggae groove. Blending in elements of acoustic roots-rock and Afro-folk simplicity, the band’s sound defies genre and has garnered critical acclaim and a wide audience across the globe.

The group’s first two full-length albums are “Hope and Doubt” and “Deidem,” the latter of which won Best Reggae Album at the Just Plain Folks Music Awards and was nominated for a Grammy Award. The band released its third CD, “A Waterlogged Soul Kitchen,” last October, presenting a set of fresh reggae songs laced with acoustic strings, guitar, violin, cello and splashes of soulful harmonica for an album that challenges listeners to redefine common perceptions of reggae and where it’s heading as a genre.

Always striving to bring awareness to the issues he is passionate about, Weekes founded his charity, They Often Cry Outreach (TOCO), in 2007 to improve the lives of underprivileged children in the Caribbean through sports, health and enrichment programs. Weekes addresses issues such as global warming, casualties of war, domestic and youth violence, diabetes and health, poverty and the welfare of children through both his music and his charity.

The Peg Egan PAC is in Eames Cherry View Park, Church Street, one block east of Wisconsin 42, Egg Harbor. All concerts begin at 7 p.m. and all take place Sundays, except for this Saturday concert. There are no seats, so concertgoers should bring blankets or lawn chairs. In case of rain, concerts will move to Calvary Methodist Church in Egg Harbor. Admission is free. For more information, call (920) 493-5979 or visit www.eggharbordoor county.org.