Chaka Demus working on new album

Chaka Demus, of the deejay/singer duo Chaka Demus and Pliers, is putting final touches on his solo album.

Slated to be released in April, the veteran entertainer said that the project will come as a surprise because of its modern lyrical content.

"My son Marvin Taylor wrote most of the tracks, so it has that young people feel. When people hear it them nah go think a me. Young people will appreciate it, but there are tracks for the mature fans as well," he said.

Chaka Demus told THE STAR that while he has great hopes for the album, he refuses to predict a hit similar to the 1990s trademark Murder She Wrote.

"But who knows, it may have one just as big, or even bigger," he said.

Included in the track listings are Success, Love Is The Answer, and a collaboration with Pliers, Half Pint, and Dignitary Stylish called Money Man Skank.

Chaka Demus and Pliers have been a staple force in the reggae industry since the early 1990s. They took Britain by storm with the big-selling, Sly and Robbie-produced Tease Me album.

It spawned six songs that made the British national chart, a first-time accomplishment that has never been surpassed.

Twist and Shout (a cover of the Isley Brothers hit), Tease Me, She Don't Let Nobody, Murder She Wrote, I Wanna Be Your Man, and Gal Wine were the songs that made the British pop chart.

Over the weekend, the duo delivered a well-received set at the Shaggy and Friends charity concert. It was one of the few local performances done by them in recent times.

But according to Chaka Demus, they are not the ones who are shying away from local performances.

"The local promoters dem nah book us. They book the younger acts. Look at every stage show and they have the same acts who deliver the same sets," he said. "We would love to do more local shows, but the promoters are just not approaching Chaka Demus and Pliers. I know our music is still in demand and we nah go kill a promoter and charge them the same as we would charge a company in European countries."

The reggae act is preparing for upcoming tours in Canada, sections of Europe, and the Love and Harmony Cruise in March.