‘NO LIMIT’ TO MOYANN
McDonald drops ‘Islandology’
By Nelson A. King
Singer/songwriter John
McDonald on May 2 debuted
the Floribbean sound of his new
record at a CD Release Concert at
the Beach in Melbourne, Fl., just
yards away from the shoreline of
Florida’s Space Coast, according
to Donna of Floribbean Music.
Aptly titled “Islandology,”
DiBongrazio said the CD displays
McDonald’s “high-energy
blend of reggae, rock and Afro-
Caribbean rhythms into a fun,
infectious, beach party luau
vibe.”Backed by an eight-piece
band that included tropical
instrumentation like steel
drums, congas, bongos and
timbales, McDonald not only
performed his new songs but
also “tropified” iconic songs by
Led Zeppelin, Ozzie Osbourne,
Peter Gabriel and James Taylor,
DiBongrazio said.
“A long-time fan of Paul
Simon, Jimmy Buffett and Sting
who prominently feature stylistic
elements of South African, Caribbean
and Jamaican ska music
into their recordings, McDonald
playfully mixes reggae, rock,
bosa nova and calypso with
Latin percussion, steel drums
and Hawaiian-style, steel pedal
guitar on his new CD,” she said.
“The result is a sound that he
describes using the portmanteau
Floribbean, the blend of Florida
and Caribbean,” she added.
DiBongrazio said “Islandology”
was produced by awardwinning
Music Row veteran Rick
Beresford, and mixed and mastered
by Grammy-nominated
audio engineer Eric Torres.
Jacksonville singer songwriter
Joe Downing opened the show,
performing self-penned tunes
from his most recent Trop Rock
project, “Songs from the Gulf,”
DiBongrazio said.
She said the backdrop for this
“down-island inspired concert”
was the Atlantic Ocean, under
the tented pavilion of the Crowne
Plaza Melbourne Oceanfront.
Among his eclectic mix of
musical and literary influences,
McDonald includes Peter Gabriel,
David Byrne, Sting and Paul
Simon’s seminal South African
(Graceland) and Brazilian
(Rhythm of the Saints) albums,
along with Nietzsche, Camus,
Dostoevsky and Victor Frankl.
His band mates jokingly
nicknamed him “the existential
Parrot Head.”
Change to Grammy Jay Shephard’s ‘Feelings’
the needs of music creators everywhere,
and this year’s changes
are a timely and positive
step forward in the evolution of
our voting process,” Bill Freimuth,
chief awards officer at
the Recording Academy said.
“We rely on the music community
to help us to continue
to evolve, and we’re grateful for
their collaboration and leadership.”
Both impactful to Caribbean
recorders and technicians, the
latter provide opportunities in
the Best Musica Urbana Album
and Best Global Music Performance
categories.
The changes will enable
opportunistic reggae artists to
expand their capacity to attract
attention from decision makers
inside the prestigious NARAS
by capitalizing on the latter.
A similar case could be
made for the most contentious
recorders who have long complained
that the genre has been
constrained by only a single
category dedicated to the Reggae
Album field.
Jamaicans have been loudest
calling for a dancehall specific,
traditional reggae or another
all-inclusive uniquely distinctive
category defining the drum
Album cover of “No Limit” with Moyann and Shenseea.
and bass-heavy beat.
Disgruntled artists representing
Caribbean L 30 ife, MAY 14-20, 2021
the genre annually
voice concern that entry should
be restricted to artists with
roots to the island and not the
global pool they now perceive
to be cultural appropriators.
That line of thinking gained
traction when winners from the
USA or other territories dominate
the five entry finals devoted
to roots recorders vying for a
prized golden gramophone.
Some have suggested similar
status and fair advantage given
to Americans afforded eight
specific categories exclusively
devoted to nationals – Best
America Roots Performance,
Best American Roots Song,
Best Americana Album, Best
Bluegrass Album, Best Contemporary
Blues Album, Best
Traditional Blues Album, Best
Regional Roots Music Album
and Best Folk Album.
An argument could be made
that the Latin categories split
four ways quadruple those
against a singular Best Reggae
category — Best Latin Pop
or Urban Album, Best Latin
Rock or Alternative Album,
Best Tropical Album and Best
Regional Mexican Music Album
(including Tejano)
confident.”
Freiseis said Moyann and
Shenseea came up with the
idea while in the studio, adding
that the duo enjoyed working
together to bring the song
to life.
Freiseis said DJ Frass produced
“No Limit” and that
“there is a fun music video”
as well.
“It’s overlaid with some
bright graphics, artistic
splashes of color, and the
scenes are engaging with
creative camera work like a
split-screen versus both in
the shot together,” she said.
“Their connection is apparent,
and their energy is contagious
throughout the visual.”
Freiseis said the talented
Moyann is already well known
in her native Jamaica and is
steadily gaining support stateside.
“Popular DJs and radio stations
are putting her music
into the rotation more frequently,
and her visibility
online is building,” Freiseis
said. “She stepped on the
scene with hit ‘Netflixxx and
Chill’, and the single helped
introduce her to other areas of
the Caribbean, across the US,
and also in the UK, to include
BBC Radio 1Xtra.”
Freiseis said the rising
star is getting a glimpse of
the upside potential with the
“No Limit” release, “and fans
are eagerly awaiting her next
move.”
Continued from Page 29
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operating his record label,
Good Vybz Nation Entertainment,
from greater Miami.
Shephard said he takes his
commitment to his work to
heart, pointing to life experiences
as his muse.
Smith told Caribbean Life
that Shephard was 19 years
old, when he “nearly died after
being shot in the face by a
friend and clung to life but lost
his left eye.
“His music career came to
light with the onset of the
healing process related to the
horrific accident,” she said.
“The incident occurred while
Jay was still in college, and he
went back to the Bahamas to
recuperate and do some soul
searching.”
Smith said Shephard’s newfound
talent inspired him to
“get in touch with his spiritual
side and write a gospel song.”
“A friend in Nassau, Bahamas,
had a home studio, and,
for the most part, everyone
that heard the music was very
supportive,” she said. “After
receiving great feedback, he
realized he needed to learn
how to tone his voice.
“Nowadays, Jay likes to
write songs late at night or
in the wee hours, somewhere
between 10:00 pm and 3:00
am,” Smith added. “That’s
when his creative juices get
flowing, and the beat usually
steers the song and the emotion
behind it.”
Smith said hits like “No
Surrender”, “Real One”
and “Miss You” came about
through working with Grammy
Award-winning producer
Troyton Rami (Black Shadow
Records).
Notably, in 2020, Shephard
was awarded a Billboard
Continued from Page 29
Bahamian singer Jay Shephard. Ricky Virtuoso/Iamvirtuoso
Photography