Here’s one for the lovers and the long-time reggae heads. Audley Rollen has re-released his 1997 album Be Wise. It came back out on 26 October through CD Baby and is now on all digital platforms.

Two songs to start with

‘Things in Life’ is Rollen’s cover of the Dennis Brown song, and it went to number one on the South Florida reggae charts. ‘Between The Sheets’ is an R&B ballad featuring Frank Cornelius and Sister Rose of The Cornelius Brothers and Sister Rose, the group best known for ‘Too Late to Turn Back Now’ (1972). That one did well in South Florida and in Jamaica, where its video got steady rotation.

Ballads are nothing new for him. “I’ve always liked and did ballads from I lived in Jamaica,” Rollen said. He also remembered how the link with Cornelius began: “Frank Cornelious introduced himself to me and commended the performance.”

A career that goes back to the 1950s

Rollen started out in the late 1950s on Vere Johns’ Opportunity Knocks talent contest. His 1970s roots reggae songs were produced by Lloyd “Matador” Daley and Keith Hudson, and he migrated to the United States in the 1970s. He is now based in South Florida, has released 13 albums and is an ordained minister.

If you missed Be Wise the first time round, now’s your chance to catch up. Which track are you running first?

Source: Jamaica Observer