MARCH 2023 ISSUE
A sneaky peek of just some of what is in the March 2023 issue – OUT NOW!
Acantha Lang
It’s two years to the very issue since we ran our first feature on Acantha Lang. Now, in the spring of 2023, she is promoted to our cover, some several singles, EPs and multiple live dates down the line, just ahead of the launch of her much-anticipated debut album, Beautiful Dreams [at the end of April]. So, I look her squarely in the eye and tell her she is surely the epitome of the rising independent soul star, her plan for world domination apparently well on its way – and must be delighted that everything is running so smoothly and in the right direction. She knows I’m at least half-joking, but the tone of her laughter has, ‘Brother, you don’t know the half of it’ written all the way through.
We sit together on a sunny rooftop terrace overlooking Piccadilly Circus – the member’s bar at Picturehouse Central, should you be looking for a pleasant hostelry – and the time it takes for us to drink a couple of coffees and chat about her adventures since she took the decision to launch her solo artist career is, she confesses, a welcome break from the frenetic activity of the rest of her professional life these days.
“I don’t regret it for a second – actually, doing this has been one of the most fulfilling, rewarding things I’ve ever done in my life…
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BILLY VALENTINE
Who better to speak to on Valentine’s Day 2023 than Billy Valentine. And yet also, who more surprising? After all, it’s been about 35 years – almost half a lifetime – since he and I last sat down together to talk music in the London offices of EMI Records, when, with brother John, Billy was promoting what turned out to be the final Valentine Brothers album, Picture This. Admittedly, the late eighties weren’t the best time for anyone to be making real soul music, no matter how great their talent, but none of us in the room back then thought the release would see the end of the Valentine Brothers forever. Such is life.
And now here we are, well into the next century and that same Billy Valentine, still in possession of his trademark beaming smile, is once again making great, timeless soul music…
ANTHONY CRUZ
Tads International is a record label based in Florida, but firmly rooted in the musical culture of Jamaica and understand that market better than any other, according to singer Anthony Cruz, whose latest album Under The Covers is released next month.
“I wouldn’t sign to anyone but Tads because they are the ones holding up reggae music right now,” he explains. A long-time associate of theirs, he’s referring to how the Tads family have continued to keep faith with quality vocal and deejay music, rather than chase after anything they don’t truly believe in. They know there’s a sizable audience out there – including in Jamaica itself – that still wants to hear good songs by good singers, that are well played and produced by people who know what they’re doing…
QUEEN OMEGA
It’s the day before Carnival and Queen Omega is driving to the beach with her children. The sounds of Trinidad street life pour in through the open windows and form the backdrop to our call, which cuts out every so often. This makes sustained conversation difficult, although it’s fun trying.
The day before, Nicki Minaj had dominated the local headlines after arriving back in Trinidad amidst much hype. That same weekend, Tarrus Riley had invited Shenseea on stage at a Carnival event and upset online abusers claiming that she’s LGBTQ. Calls to reinstate the Soca Monarch competition seemed trivial by comparison, but for reggae fans, the biggest news from Trinidad during Carnival week was the imminent release of Queen Omega’s first full length album in years…
