Morgan Heritage ADD
Gramps, Mr Mojo and Peetah Morgan are the holy trinity comprising the iconic reggae based, Grammy-winning family band Morgan Heritage. Their brand new album, ‘Loyalty’, was created across several continents and completed in unorthodox fashion with the three brothers all in different locations - Mojo in Kenya focussing on the group’s philanthropic efforts, Gramps travelling the world healing people with the Masaya CBD products created by his wife Dr Annabelle Manolo, and Peetah in Miami anchoring the production. This meant utilising technology to bring them together virtually in one studio to orchestrate the finishing touches to their new masterpiece. ‘Loyalty’ is the trio’s twelfth studio record and is set for release in August on their CTBC (Cool To Be Conscious) Music Group label in partnership with Membran.
Morgan Heritage are known worldwide for their riveting stage presence and exciting showmanship, so it is no surprise that the Royal Family of Reggae will trek globally from Africa to Europe, North to South America and beyond during 2019 and 2020. Their itinerary not only embodies the group’s global citizenship but is testament to the siblings embrace of unifying cultures that is prominent in their music, with the brothers stating: “The new album showcases the universal state of Reggae and Jamaican music today. Our music is not one dimensional and we’re not loyal to one dimension of the music, rather we’re loyal to our genre.”
Personified by an impressive discography with each release displaying the eclectic fusion of sounds that have influenced each member, including Reggae, Rock, Hip-Hop, Jazz, R&B and Afrobeat, the common thread throughout has been authentic original Reggae. ‘Loyalty’ can certainly be defined as a globetrotting work of art and offers 16 diverse songs produced by Morgan Heritage with co-production from fellow Grammy award winners such as Jerry Wonda, Jason ‘J-Vibe’ Farmer, Shane Brown and Aston Barrett Jr. The album also features star studded appearances from African superstars Diamond Platnumz, Stonebwoy and Patoranking, Reggae Rock stars Pepper and Iration, Dancehall sensation Popcaan, plus the voice of Emmy Award winning journalist and broadcaster Jeff Koinange on the album intro track.
‘Loyalty’ truly delivers the Morgan Heritage sound that fans recognise as ‘Rockaz’, the outstanding production embracing instrumental breaks that allow individual artists to shine in their own right while still being geared towards further elevating the music. The lyrical prowess of the songs will also captivate listeners, touching on love on ‘All For You’, social commentary on ‘The Awakening’, relationships on ‘Pay Attention’, while also including motivational songs such as ‘The World is Yours’. They embrace and pay homage to their African and Jamaican roots with the hard-hitting ‘Africa x Jamaica’, while the gentle, acoustic ‘Home’ is an ode to all travelling parents who work hard for their families and was actually penned on Fathers Day by Mr Mojo and his son Esh.
The new single, ‘Beach And Country’, was produced by Jugglerz, Haegi and Morgan Heritage, while the video for the song was filmed on location in Sao Vicente, Cape Verde and directed by Mojo Morgan and Adilson Ramos. The group state that “'Beach And Country' is a song to take away musically any time of the year to a tropical oasis. Music has a way to contribute to our emotions and we hope our new single takes everyone on a journey down memory lane for those that don’t live in a tropical destination.” The Stuttgart, Germany based co-producer of the song, Jugglerz, adds: “as a selecta of one of the biggest sound systems in Europe, we have always bought Morgan Heritage records and been to their shows when they have toured. We also have a big radio show for Reggae and Dancehall (Jugglerz Radio) and have had them as guests in our studio. They were in Stuttgart last winter and that’s when we started to work on ‘Beach And Country.’”
With a title befitting of this latest offering, ‘Loyalty’ is a musical journey that adheres and remains faithful to the philosophy of Morgan Heritage, as they explain: "We chose the title because of how loyal we’ve been to the brand Morgan Heritage as a family, a band and group for so many years. Hence the reason we say 'Heritage 4 Life', as well as our loyalty to Reggae music while not being afraid to travel the journey of change through musical evolution.” Albums such as ‘Loyalty’ are representative of what committed, tasteful artistry is still capable of accomplishing and Morgan Heritage has managed the trick of staying true to their sound while collaborating with other creatives from around the globe and remaining utterly current.
