Gregory Isaacs wants you to 'Stop'
When you put one of the most prolific songwriters of all time with credits of over 100 recorded studio albums to his name alongside one of the finest Reggae Producers and mix engineers in the business the outcome is obvious, musical gold. That is exactly what you get with Gregory Isaacs and Mikey Simpson’s (Aswad) composition ‘Stop’.
It may seem strange that a man who battled with drugs throughout his career would be an advocate for abstinence. But, when you think about it, who better to relay the ‘Anti Drugs’ message than a man who has been through trials and tribulations of substance abuse himself?
Recorded at Gregory’s ‘Poor People Studio’ in Jamaica, Simpson placed Isaacs’ distinctive vocals on top of an instrumental track that would never initially seem to be characteristic of the Cool Ruler. Calling upon the chanting, drumming and other influences of Nyahbinghi Rastafarian, the traditional music of the Rastafarian practice, it only seems obvious that both the track and the genre strive towards a heightened sense of awareness. Gliding effortlessly with lyrical quips like ‘Stop what you’re doing smoky head’, Isaacs parallels the importance of his message with a much needed light-heartedness.
Considering the ongoing global battle against substance abuse, the track continues to remain timely even after its original recording. They say that music has the power to shape lives and, sung from the mouth of one of the world’s most famous Reggae artists, ‘Stop’ is the perfect vehicle to change some for the better.
