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Percy Dread

Brand New Solo CD - to be released soon

UPSIDE DOWNSIDE

Author's Review: Percy Dread has produced a solo CD of superior quality, combining together a heady mix of fresh new tunes and old classics, revamped and brought up to date, that demonstrate his voice has lost none of its exquisitely soulful qualities. He never strays far from his Rasta beliefs and engages the listener with a series of strong harmonies and catchy chorus lines that hook you into the moment.

Fifteen tracks and an hour of powerful roots music, kicks off in fine style with one of the album's strongest offerings in Pollution, followed by the title track (with video), Upside Downside. Percy Dread's strength is his stirring and emotional voice quality that surges through both of these songs. Black Roses is the first of four Natural Ites' classics, the magical Picture On The Wall, Love Jah (always one of my personal favourites) and Jah Works Mamma are the others, which recall the heady days of the '80s when the group were at the height of their success. These refreshers and other revival songs like Dungeon and Foggy Road which Percy Dread has breathed new life into, jockey for position alongside sturdy brand new offerings like Guide Me and Can't Look Back. Straying from his rootsy sound into a more mechanical vibe, Many Will Be Called was my least favoured tune, though the rest of Percy Dread's gifts to us more than compensate.

An impressive return to the fold for one of Britain's best-loved roots singers.

Track List: Pollution (3:55); Upside Downside (5:20); Black Roses (4:20); Babylon Rules (3:45); Dungeon (3:15); Foggy Road (3:30); Guide Me (5:35); Love Jah (4:19); Jah Works Mamma (3:33); Many Will Be Called (3:38); Conquer (3:42); So Jah Say (3:25); Black Star Liner (2:56); Can't Look Back (3:55); Picture On The Wall (4:43)

London-born, Percy Dread (McLeod) was a founder member alongwith Ossie Samms and Neil Foster of the The Natural-Ites, who began life in Nottingham, England in late 1982 and whose music became known across the length and breadth of the reggae fraternity for its warmth and freshness throughout the Eighties. With the release of their seminal single, Picture On The Wall, and their first album of the same name in 1985, they quickly became much-loved throughout Britain and beyond and went onto release two more albums (Marvellous and Naturalites In Ites) and a handful of classic singles before finally calling it a day in 1990. Whilst reggae fans mourned the passing of the band, singer-songwriters Percy McLeod and Ossie Gad reformed briefly in 2001, though the collaboration didn't bear fruit until Percy's latest venture, with producer Lenroy Guiste, and the release of his debut solo album, Upside Downside.

To obtain Upside Downside

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To read the full Percy Dread story, click on www.andybrouwer.co.uk/percydread.html

To read a bio of the Natural-Ites, click on www.andybrouwer.co.uk/nites.html

To visit the official Percy Dread website, click on www.percydread.co.uk

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