‘CRUSH ON YOU’
Caribbean L 34 ife, MAR. 26-APR. 1, 2021
beat out Buju Banton’s “Upside
Down 2020,” Skip Marley’s
“Higher Place,” Maxi Priest’s
“It All Comes Back To Love,”
and The Wailers’ “One World.”
It was Toots and The Maytals’
sixth Grammy nomination
after first copping the illustrious
award in 2005 for the
album, “True Love.”
The band’s second Grammy
is an apt tribute to its internationally
acclaimed reggae
star and front-man, Fredrick
“Toots” Hibbert, who died at the
University Hospital of the West
Indies in Kingston, Jamaica, on
Sept. 11 last year, nearly two
weeks after he tested positive
for COVID-19. He was 77.
Hibbert’s death also came
two weeks after Toots and The
Maytals released “Got To Be
Tough.”
“Very honored to have Got
To Be Tough win the Grammy
for Best Reggae Album,” tweeted
Toots and The Maytals after
winning the Grammy. “A very
special way to remember the
legacy of Toots Hibbert! We are
very grateful to everyone who
helped make this happen.”
Just before Hibbert was laid
to rest in Jamaica’s National
Heroes Park, Culture Minister
Olivia Grange described
the reggae legend as “a national
treasure, whose humble
demeanor and affable personality
belied his towering global
stature.”
Before his death, Hibbert
was considered a pioneer of
reggae, according to dancehallmag.
com.
“When he died at the age
of 77, his career had already
spanned six decades, and he
was credited for giving the
genre its name after his song,
‘Do the Reggay,’ was released in
1968,” it said recently.
On Dec. 8, 2020, on what
would have been Hibbert’s 78th
birthday Trojan Jamaica, the
label that released Toots and
the Maytals’ “Got to Be Tough,”
premiered a video in the musician’s
honor, dancehallmag
said.
It said the video contains
clips of the making of “Got
to Be Tough,” which included
interviews with Hibbert.
Urbanislandz.com said
the legendary front-man was
“widely known for his soulful
voice” and that “he and his
band were considered pioneers
of the reggae genre.”
Stupica said. “The acoustic
guitar, played by fellow Brooklyn
artist Steff Reed, gives her
highest-streamed single new
life and renewed meaning.
“The stripped-down
arrangement proves that the
lyrical content and melodies of
Reyna Von Chase run deeper
than R&B,” he added.
Von Chase said: “Once I
heard the single with an indie
vibe, it inspired me to take the
track a step further,” disclosing
that she reached out to DJ
RobiDLight (Robinette Jones)
to collaborate on a remix to
“Crush on You” and to introduce
it to a new audience.
With the dance remix,
Stupica said Von Chase “shows
a different side of herself with
this third variation.
“It is more uptempo than
the original and gives the single
an upbeat sensibility,” he
said. “This version of ‘Crush
on You’ is intended for her
LGBTQIA+ fanbase and anyone
who loves dance music.
“Reyna Von Chase is on a
mission to connect with chasers
from all walks of life and
teach them the importance
of independence and selfpreservation,”
Stupica added.
“The ‘Crush on You (Remix)’,
featuring Robinette Jones, is
sure to gain the same positive
response as its previous iterations.
“Hearing ‘Crush on You’
in three different ways gives
it three different vibes and
allows one song to exist in
various genres,” he continued.
“As a woman of color in the
music industry, it is challenging
to avoid being categorized
into a box and manipulated
into an artist the executive
wants them to be.
“Reyna Von Chase refuses
to submit to the old ways
of the music business and is
ready to redefine the popstar
for her generation,” Stupica
said. “Her unique voice and
modern perspective break the
mold and are a recipe for professional
longevity. Reyna Von
Chase is a star on the rise and
an artist to keep an eye on.”
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nership.”
“This album is a dedication
to my wife and the wonderful
partnership we share
and which we celebrate physically,
spiritually and culturally,”
Montano said. “These
songs translate the feelings we
experience when we meet, the
love when we dance and share
space, as well as the joy we
find when we are together.”
Known for his fete starter
singles and road march rompers,
Tomlinson said Montano
has “stepped outside his mind
and into his heart trusting
every direction unknown with
this album.”
She said the album is a collection
of “slow grooves for
easy listening and dancing,
with a message of love running
straight through.
“Just like a marriage, the
theme is about union on multiple
levels,” Tomlinson said.
Executive-produced by Montano
and Che Kothari, “The
Wedding Album” features artists
such as Teddy Riley, Afro
B, Vybz Kartel, Stacy Barthe,
Voice, and DJ Tunez, among
others.
“The star-studded album is
a masterpiece packaged with
love and unity,” Tomlinson
said.
Montano said these songs
“venture from dancehall to
R&B to Afrobeat, all infused
with that sweet soca.
“I am grateful for the opportunity
to work with the artists
I’ve collaborated with, and it’s
an honor to sing side by side
with such highly-rated creatives
whom I look up to and
I’m a big fan of,” he said.
Album streaming link:
https://monkmusic.fm.to/weddingalbum
Continued from Page 33
Reyna Von Chase’s “Crush On You” acoustic artwork.
Montano’s ‘The Wedding Album’ Toots and The Maytals
Trinidadian soca superstar, Machel Montano. Che Kohtari
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/Urbanislandz.com
