NEW YORK – No dance in Jamaica during the 1980s and 1990s was complete without hit songs from Lloyd “King Jammy” James. In tandem with musicians Steely and Clevie, the producer released a series of hit singles by top acts like Frankie Paul, Cocoa Tea, Admiral Bailey and Shabba Ranks.
Some of the rhythms that drove those songs are heard on When Last, an album by New York-based singer Dona V. Produced by James, it was released in April by VPAL Music, a subsidiary of VP Records.
On When Last, he revisits classic beats like Far East on President Nebuchadnezzar. He uses the Peanie Peanie for When Last You Give. He also uses the Storm rhythm for Mus haffi Get You.
King Jammy’s Studio
Dona V traveled to Jamaica to record songs at King Jammy’s famous studio in Waterhouse, Kingston. He was excited to sing over the beats he grew up on.
“A great riddim is a coming together of musical instruments that forms a ‘mightylos’ sound that makes you want to dance, reminisce and still want to hear more even when it finishes playing,” he said. “Because these Jammys riddims possess these ingredients, that’s what makes them timeless.”
When Last is Dona V’s third album. His first, Cry For Tomorrow, was produced by Clement “Coxsone” Dodd for Studio One and released in 1999. Any Means Necessary, his second collection, came out in 2022.
James started his career as a sound system operator/selector and studio engineer in the early 1970s. He is one of the forerunners of the sound system movement in Toronto, Canada. He lived there for several years before returning to Jamaica.
In 1985, he produced Unda mi Sleng Teng by singer Wayne Smith. That sensational song heralded dancehall music’s digital age.
