by Howard Campbell
JACKSONVILLE – When singer Teejax Malek I started production on his latest album last year, he wanted an appropriate image to complement his new Island Rock sound.
The Jamaican artist, who is based in Jacksonville, Florida, launched a line of clothing merchandise with Island Rock, his fourth album which was released in May.
“I believe the music and merchandise goes hand in hand. Music is fun, enjoyment, tranquility; work, lots of work and most of all it’s a business,” he said. “I remember we use to party every weekend and many times during the week also. However, every week we have a new outfit for the clubs, dancehalls and even basement parties.”
The Island Rock line comprises T-shirts for men and women as well as caps.
The self-produced Island Rock, according to Teejax Malek I, is a blend of ska, rocksteady, Rhythm and Blues, gospel, country and western and pocomania. The latter, an African-inspired revival beat traced to the days of slavery, is still practiced in Jamaica.
Teejax Malek I said his potpourri of sounds creates a “true Rasta vibration. It is so fitting now to be known as Island Rock Music.”
Two songs have already been released from Island Rock — the title track and Rebuild Again.
Born in Manchester, a rural parish in central Jamaica, Teejax Malek I grew up listening to ska and rocksteady, sounds that introduced Jamaican popular music to the world in the early and mid-1960s. But like many of his contemporaries, he also had an appreciation for American R&B and what was once known as country and western music.
Since he began recording in the mid-1980s, he has experimented with different sounds. He continues that trend on Island Rock which is his first album in four years. His previous set, New World Disorder, was released in 2014.
