Mikey Dread - Life is a Stage

Welcome to ‘Life is a Stage’, the twenty-second, official release from the renaissance man of reggae music, Michael ‘Mikey Dread’ Campbell. Thirty years have passed since Campbell first adopted the moniker of Mikey Dread, the lone, roots operator on Jamaica’s public radio station JBC and today, reggae fans all around the world have come to appreciate Mikey’s contribution to reggae from the studio to the stage. His distinctive voice has narrated documentaries for television and his production talents helped launch the careers of singers Rod Taylor, Edi Fitzroy and Earl Sixteen. Known in the U.K. as a distant cousin of punk icons, The Clash and worthy support to UB40 during their prime, Mikey Dread the recording artist rose to prominence during the early eighties, as a pioneer of early dancehall music. His natural delivery, inventive jingles and fresh approach to dub music attracted an audience that previously had cut their teeth on all of King Tubbys productions.
Interestingly, Mikey Dread’s collaborations back then with such legendary musicians as Sly Dunbar, Lincoln “Style” Scott, Errol “Flabba” Holt, Felix “Deadley” Headley and Sticky Thompson are rekindled once again on ‘Life is a Stage’. Decades may have passed since their last encounter, but in essence there’s a similarity between those recordings of the late seventies and early eighties and this release in that these seasoned musicians know their craft well and have collectively produced an unhurried, authentic and professional sounding reggae album of old. The inclusion of back up vocalists, ‘Brady’ Ellendre Walters and Chantelle Ernandez adds a nice dimension to the project, while the presence of horn players Everton and Evral Gayle and Johnny “Dizzy” Moore provide more than just company for sax player “Deadley” Headley. Plus, there are important appearances from bassists Larry Silvera, Glen Browne, Fully Fullwood, guitarists Dalton Browne, Tony Chin, and Robbie Lynn plus Frankly “Bubbler” Waul on keyboards and well, the list goes on and on.
Mature audiences will appreciate and identify with the positive lyrics throughout and long time fans of Mikey will love the ‘Dread at the Controls’ treatment on “Soundbwoy Special” a rub-a-dub selection initiating thoughts of what the next Mikey Dread dub album could reveal. Overall, the pace is easy on the ear mixed with humor (as on “Pound a Weed” - a revision of Dennis Brown’s “Have You Ever”) a ‘likkle jump up’ bounce (“Backstage Pass”) and personal insights on such topics as stem cell reproduction (“Stem Cells”) and cloning (“Barcoding”). Whether you rock steady alongside the humbling chorus of “Oh No” or swing easy to the ancestral passage provided in “Passing Through”, it’s heartwarming to hear Mikey still enjoy his music and obviously feel his recording touch rejuvenated by the company of old friends and fellow professionals.
By Trevor Holland