CD Release - Innocent Children
Washington, DC (August
24th, 2007)
Artfully produced,
beautifully lyrical and thoroughly original, Innocent Children
represents a cohesive blend of five personal perspectives on reggae,
enlivened and emboldened by rock, gospel, R&B and jazz influences which
reflect a lifetime of admiration and study of music. Innocent Children
is simultaneously an authentic throwback to the 1970's - replete with
hammond B3 sounds, wah-wah guitar, funk influenced drumming - as well as
a fresh and innovative approach to modern roots reggae music, with
unique song structures, melodic hooks and song writing savvy.
To help create a strong roots reggae base, JohnStone recruited Jalani
Horton (Mt. Nebo Records, Bambu Station) to record Innocent Children. As
with their previous record Eyes Open, JohnStone tapped legendary
engineer Jim Fox (Steel Pulse, Black Uhuru, Israel Vibration,
Eek-a-Mouse) to lend his considerable mixing and dubbing talents.
The title track Innocent Children was first conceptualized and written
by drummer/singer Alfred Adams in February of 2004, while reading
reports on the coup d'etat in Haiti. Musically, Innocent Children is a
throwback to the late 70's reggae sound, while lyrically the song is a
powerful indictment against the use of child soldiers. Other songs on
Innocent Children range from straight ahead, inspirational anthems such
as Peace and Love and Harmony to the moody, early 60's Coltrane
influenced opus Black Spirit Swells, which shows off Benjamin Crandall's
tenor sax chops and bassist Brendan DeMelle's melodic bass playing. One
of the album's highlights, Black Spirit Swells (A. White) is inspired by
and dedicated to the life of Fela Anikulapo Kuti. The song also
references the plight of African peoples who were enslaved in the new
world, and their constant hope for a better human existence in the face
of desperate and sub-human conditions. A tribute to Jamaican singers
who have fought for equality and justice through their art, Clinton's
Lament represents lead singer Andre White at his lyrical best. On Trod
Your Own, Alfred Adams and keyboardist Joseph Manekin have composed a
powerful, funky tune that preaches persistence and independence in
pursuit of one's goals.
Innocent Children represents the distillation of years of togetherness
as a band, drawing from the musical diversity of an incredibly diverse
group of musicians. It is an album with plenty of immediate appeal,
though its musical complexity and lyrical provenance should provide
listening pleasure for some time to come.
JohnStone
has supported international acts such as Burning Spear (Winston
Rodney),Toots and the Maytals, The Itals, Third World, The Meditations
and Yellowman etc. and have been nominated in successive years to the
Washington Area Music Awards (WAMA) and the D.C. Annual Reggae Music
Awards.
Innocent
Children is available via
http://www.cdbaby.com,
the ITUNES music store, http://www.johnstonemusic.com,
as well as local and online retailers.
For more information on CD release shows, booking inquiries or other
information please visit
http://www.johnstonemusic.com or
http://www.myspace.com/johnstonereggae.
Download the Press Release in PDF Format
