Cover Culture : Frankie Paul / Bobby Brown – I Want To Rock
COVER VERSION VS ORIGINAL SONG
Since the early 1960s and even prior, numerous iconic Jamaican hits were derived from popular foreign songs. The original pop and soul tracks were frequently embraced by audiences on the island, leading reggae artists to create their own renditions. Some of these artists gained fame by covering chart-topping songs, turning these adaptations into timeless classics.
For instance, American artist Bill Withers recorded the Grammy-winning song Ain’t No Sunshine, which Horace Andy later adapted, while Dennis Brown’s rendition of Black Magic Woman originally came from Fleetwood Mac. These two examples represent just a small fraction of the many covers that have emerged over the past sixty-five years.
Since the advent of these adaptations, both Jamaican and international reggae musicians have persistently reimagined pop and soul hits, continuing this tradition into the present. You’re welcome to listen to both the original and the cover versions to determine which one resonates with you the most.
FRANKIE PAUL
Paul Blake, widely recognized among reggae and dancehall fans as Frankie Paul, was a Jamaican musician who was born blind, earning him the nickname ‘The Jamaican Stevie Wonder.’ The singer gained prominence in the early ’80s, recording extensively throughout the decade. Like many of his successful fellow artists, such as Gregory Isaacs and Dennis Brown, he worked with nearly every producer in Jamaica, releasing numerous 7″ singles and several albums each year. In 1990, Waterhouse-based producer King Jammy provided him a digital version of the Love Is Not A Gamble riddim on which he recorded a cover of Bobby Brown’s Rock Wit’cha, titled I Want To Rock.
BOBBY BROWN
US singer, songwriter, rapper, and dancer Bobby Brown began his music journey in the R&B and pop band New Edition. He was part of the group from its founding in Boston in 1978 until his departure in December 1985. Brown left the group due to dissatisfaction over what they perceived as inadequate compensation for their work. Following this, he embarked on a successful solo career, notably with his second album Don’t Be Cruel, which produced five top 10 singles on the Billboard Hot 100, including the chart-topping track My Prerogative and Rock Wit’cha. The latter is the fifth and final single from that album, presented as a ballad with both an original and a remix version featured on the Dance!…Ya Know It! album.
The post Cover Culture : Frankie Paul / Bobby Brown – I Want To Rock appeared first on Reggae Vibes.
