Samory I honours son with new album

Strength is the name of reggae singer Samory I's upcoming album which is set for an early 2023 release. Not by coincidence, Strength is dedicated to his "very strong" two-year old son, Jahseh.

"That's my boy," Samory I beamed with fatherly pride when asked about the connection. "He's my everything. Him a di general who a go come tek over the legacy. I have to honour my kids ... it only feels right."

Quite willing to talk about Jahseh's antics, the Rastafarian entertainer, who recently returned from performing at the Reggae Geel Festival in Belgium, shared that the toddler "is three handfuls ... and I love him".

The album, which is being produced by Winta James, Samory I said, "is definitely a strong one, just like my boy". It follows his critically acclaimed debut album, Black Gold, which was released in 2017.

" Strength has 12 tracks and the production and everything will be on par with Black Gold. Yuh know that a Winta James project can't be anything less than excellent. We are ensuring that we choose the right songs for this season and beyond," explained the roots artiste whose style and flavour have been compared to that of reggae icon Peter Tosh.

Samory I has also just released a collab with dancehall artiste Chi Ching Ching, which surprised many because it sounded "so right". That single, which is titled Life Is Amazing, is produced by Zion I Kings and, while it is an ode to the weed (ganja), "it is not just another weed song".

"Is a song with me and mi bredren and is a song from the two a wi heart," Samory I declared. "It's about the amazing feeling that we get when we smoke the herb. It was like a party working with Ching ... it's a different vibe. The video is out and I'm happy to say that the people embrace it fully."

Life Is Amazing is the first official release on a new imprint, I&I Worldwide, launched by reggae singer Protoje, in partnership with The Orchard for worldwide distribution "to give rising Jamaican artistes better opportunities to release their music independently".

Samory I noted that he was thrilled that this song is the one that "got the ball rolling" on that project. Although he is not sure if Life is Amazing will be one of the 12 songs on Strength, he assured that "all the songs will be amazing".