When Steve Santana moved to the United Kingdom in the late 1990s, he found an indiscriminate reggae market. Fans were big into lovers rock, roots-reggae and vintage sounds from the 1960s and 1970s.

Over the years, the singer has released albums that show he is comfortable in any genre. But for his latest album,‘Steve Santana@Stingray Studio’, he appeals to diverse tastes.

“This album was approached with versatility in mind, we decided to put all the songs we believed in together and not worry about defining the category of the album. My other albums, ‘Heavily Protected’ and ‘Such Is Life’ on the Twinkle Label are roots albums, and my self-produced album ‘Aspects of Love’, is lovers rock,” he said.

‘Love Doctor’, done on the classic ‘Ting A Ling’ riddim made famous by The Heptones and The Tamlins, hears Santana at his lovers rock best. That song was previously released.

He shows social awareness on ‘Stomping Ground’, as well as ‘Never Forget’ which recalls the Trans Atlantic slave trade. These songs, he noted, show his growth as an artiste.

“Since my first album, I’m more confident in my decisions as a songwriter and my ability to deliver the song,” Santana said.

Steve Santana was born Steve Campbell and hails from Trelawny parish in western Jamaica. He attended William Knibb High School, the alma mater of superstar sprinter Usain Bolt.

After performing for several years on the country’s tourism circuit, he recorded his first song, ‘Beware’, which was produced by Norman Grant of The Twinkle Brothers.

He settled in the UK over 20 years ago and quickly made his mark on the country’s reggae scene. For his fourth album, he works with Stingray Records, which has produced albums and songs by Freddie McGregor, Dennis Brown, Lukie D, Mikey Spice and Spanish band, The Emeterians.

The dreadlocked Santana believes the Stingray sessions produced some of his best work.

“Stingray is easy to work with as long as you want to make good music. If you plan to cut corners then you’re in for a hard time,” he said.