Wyclef Jean is in Kingston, and he’s brought a reggae album with him. He has been on a press run in the Jamaican capital to promote ‘One Night in Kingston’, his first full-length reggae album.

The project is the third entry in his seven-album Quantum Leap series. It was recorded at The Compound studio, and the guest list mixes Jamaican and African talent: Jada Kingdom, Luciano and Ghana’s Stonebwoy all appear, while Grammy nominee Lila Iké features on ‘One in the Chamber’.

Executive producer Tom “Panic” Jones, who also features on ‘Guns Guns Guns’, says the songs came together fast. “It took pretty much less than a week to write and record the songs,” he said. On ‘Guns Guns Guns’, he explained: “It’s a track about the reign of terror that guns has been over time.” His summary of the team’s approach? “We’re playing chess, not checkers.”

The band behind it is the Dub Squad, with Nicolas Groskopf on lead guitar, Ottmar Campbell on keyboards, Keneil Delisser on drums and Kawayne Williamson on bass. The Compound Squad of Evan Mason, N’namdi Robinson, Oliver “Bliva” Thompson and Oneil Dacres is also credited.

When does it come out?

The timing isn’t locked in. Jones said “we’re looking to release at the end of this month”, which points to late November, while the same Observer article also says the album is due by the end of 2026. We’ll update you when a firm date lands.

While he’s in town, Wyclef is set to perform at The Compound and join Jones for a special Tuesday Service event on 17 November at 8:00 pm.

Source: Jamaica Observer