''Appointment With His Majesty'' is a studio album by the

Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...

reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, " Do the Reggay" was the first popular song to use ...

singer Burning Spear. It was nominated for a

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...

for

Best Reggae Album The Grammy Award for Best Reggae Album is an award presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1985 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for quality works in the reggae music genre. Honors in sev ...

at the

40th Grammy Awards The 40th Annual Grammy Awards were held on February 25, 1998, at Radio City Music Hall, New York City. They recognized accomplishments by musicians from the previous year. Rock icon Bob Dylan, Alison Krauss & Union Station, and R. Kelly were the ...

, in 1998. The album peaked at No. 10 on ''Billboards Reggae Albums chart.

Production

The title track is thought to be a polemic about the rise of dancehall music. "Play Jerry" is a tribute to

Jerry Garcia Jerome John Garcia (August 1, 1942 – August 9, 1995) was an American musician best known for being the principal songwriter, lead guitarist, and a vocalist with the rock band Grateful Dead, which he co-founded and which came to prominence ...

Critical reception

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...

'' wrote that "the reggae ... is typically swirling and hypnotic, but this is first and foremost message music." ''

The Boston Globe ''The Boston Globe'' is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes, and has a total circulation of close to 300,000 print and digital subscribers. ''The Boston Glob ...

'' thought that "the formula is simple: mesmerizing bass lines, snappy horns and Spear's own time-worn voice, reflecting conscious themes and Pan-African concerns." '' Stereo Review'' concluded that Spear "remains a quietly persuasive singer with often overlooked knacks for melody and topical bite; 'Commercial Development' and 'Don't Sell Out' strike back at the industrialization of both Jamaica and reggae."

Track listing

*All songs written and arranged by Winston Rodney. #"The Future (Clean It Up)" – 4:47 #"Appointment With His Majesty" – 4:20 #"Play Jerry" – 4:39 #"Reggae Physician" – 4:25 #"Glory Be to Jah" – 5:04 #"Don't Sell Out" – 4:33 #"Come in Peace" – 4:23 #"African Jamaican" – 5:02 #"My Island" – 4:54 #"Commercial Development" – 5:21 #"Music" – 4:54 #"Loving You" – 4:57

Credits

*Published by Burning Spear Publishing, ASCAP. *Executive producer – Sonia Rodney *Recorded at Grove Recording Studio, Ocho Rios, St. Ann's. *Edited by Barry O'Hare *Mixed by Barry O'Hare and Winston Rodney. *Assistant engineer – Bobby Hawthorne *Project Coordinator for Heartbeat - Garret Vandermolen *Sequencing - Chris Wilson *Mastered by Dr. Toby Mountain at Northeastern Digital Recording, Southborough, MA. *Photography by Dana Siles *Design by Jean-Pierre LeGuillou

Musicians

Winston Rodney Winston Rodney OD (born 1 March 1945), better known by the stage name Burning Spear, is a Jamaican roots reggae singer-songwriter, vocalist and musician. Burning Spear is a Rastafarian and one of the most influential and long-standing roots ar ...

- vocals, congas, percussion, background vocals *

Nelson Miller Nelson Miller (12 November 1954 – 30 June 2019) was a Jamaican drummer and record producer. Miller was born and raised in Port Antonio.''Modern Drummer'', Volume 7, Issues 7-12, p. 20, 1983 Influenced by Lloyd Knibb, Carlton "Santa" Davis, an ...

- drums *James Smith - trumpet *Lenval Jarrett - rhythm guitar *Num H.S. Amun’Tehu - percussion, background vocals *Steven Stewart - keyboards *Rupert Bent - lead guitar *Ronald "Nambo" Robinson - trombone *Howard Messam - saxophone *Barry O'Hare - keyboard *Carol "Passion" Nelson - background vocals *Edna Rodney - background vocals *Rachell Bradshaw - background vocals *Yvonne Patrick - background vocals *Sharon Gordon - background vocals Additional Musicians * Tony Williams - drums *Trevor McKenzie - bass *Collin Elliot - bass *

Robbie Lyn Robert "Robbie" Bernard Lyn is a Jamaican session musician who plays piano, keyboard and synthesiser. Biography Robbie Lyn is a popular Jamaican session musician, who has played with various session/backing bands including Now Generation, Sound ...

- keyboard, background vocals *Ian "Beezy" Coleman - rhythm, lead guitar ("Play Jerry") *Junior "Chico" Chin - trumpet ("Play Jerry") *

Uziah "Sticky" Thompson Uzziah "Sticky" Thompson (1 August 1936 – 25 August 2014) was a Jamaican percussionist, vocalist and deejay active from the late 1950s. He worked with some of the best known performers of Jamaican music and played on hundreds of albums. Biog ...

- percussion ("Play Jerry") *Tony Green - saxophone ("Play Jerry")

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Appointment With His Majesty Burning Spear albums 1997 albums