Family Affair
Presenting "heavyweight Jamaican soul music," the Inna De Yard crew returns with another "Family Affair" celebrating the roots of reggae music. Following a four-year hiatus, some of the biggest names in the game are back to show dem young'uns how it's done. For those less familiar with this revival movement, Inna De Yard seeks "to capture the essence of Jamaican popular music by stripping reggae down to its core essentials featuring a core band of Jamaican musicians and singers, some legendary, some from the new school of Jamaican roots reggae."
Building on the global success of their 2019-released eponymous album and the accompanying film by British filmmaker Peter Webber documenting a musical reunion for the ages, the Inna De Yard family recently regrouped at the Reggae Legends Villa overlooking the Blue Mountains outside Kingston to record another timeless full-length, literally taking the music back to the yards it once arose from. "Keeping with the Inna De Yard philosophy of recording in a natural setting, unencumbered by electronic instruments and contemporary studio technology and following the idea of the famous ‘government yard’ in Trench Town where Bob Marley and the Wailers learned their craft," the group revisits vintage reggae as only they could.
The current Inna De Yard lineup features the vocal prowess of Winston McAnuff, Cedric Myton (The Congos) and KIDDUS I, Keith & Tex, Johnny Osbourne, Steve Newland, Derajah, Kush McAnuff and Keith Rowe, accompanied by "top session musicians" providing finest acoustic soul, roots reggae and rocksteady vibes as well as traditional 'nyabinghi' drumming. The resulting 13 tracks are nothing less than a blessing, performed in the most genuine of manners, rooted in the heart and soul of its creators. There's an undeniable magic pervading these tracks, an earthy note, a grounding quality, spreading a joyous "message of global peace and harmony" while reinstalling its listeners with a certain faith in humanity.
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