Morgan Heritage is proud to announce the Strictly Roots Deluxe Edition, set to be released on December 9th on their own CTBC (“Cool to be Conscious”) record label. Morgan Heritage has a 20-plus year career as a revered reggae act, and reached the pinnacle when they won the GRAMMY Award for Best Reggae Album in 2016 for their incredible Strictly Roots record, which is being re-released as a two-disc deluxe version adding four new songs and three new remixes to the album just in time for the holidays. The band will also be doing a short East Coast promotional tour in December to end their landmark year. Full tour dates listed below.
Moran Heritage put Strictly Roots out on their own label, CTBC Music Group (“Cool to be Conscious”) on April 21, 2015, working with many like-minded acts such as Jo Mersa Marley (son of Stephen Marley and grandson of the great Bob Marley), who radiates on the track “Light It Up.” While the family knew they’d made a strong album, it was still thrilling to win their first Grammy 20+ years after their initial performance when they were kids playing as the backing band for their father Denroy Morgan and Reggae legends such as Dennis Brown, Judy Mowatt (I-Threes background singer with Bob Marley and The Wailers), Freddie McGregor and Sister Carol to name a few. “Winning our first Grammy for this album is special because it's our first release as an independent artist on our label. Even more so, to win the Grammy tells us that our peers recognize our contributions to our genre of Reggae Music.”
The deluxe edition of Strictly Roots is a two-disc aural voyage that showcases unreleased tracks and remixes alongside features from GRAMMY winner Shaggy, J Boog, Flogging Molly, Eric Rachmany of Rebelution, Bobby Lee of GRAMMY Nominated SOJA, Chronixx, Jemere Morgan and Gil Sharone.
Of the bonus tracks, Morgan Heritage says that “Come Fly,” featuring Flogging Molly, is a song “about freedom of the mind, body and spirit,” while “Rise Up” is about “never losing faith whilst standing up for your rights in life.” “Talk Dem Ah Talk” encourages “everyone to ignore the noise out in the world, and not to let naysayers hold you back from what you believe in.” Another track, “Lion Order,” shares the lifestyle in which “living a clean life, and giving daily praise to our father in Zion, keeps us strong like a lion.”
Morgan Heritage also hosted a remix contest for the song “Light It Up,” which asked fans, producers and DJ’s to submit a remix through Indaba Music. “The team at Indaba was amazing, and the selection process was tougher than we thought it would be because there were so many great remixes. We picked 3 finalists, all of who were eclectic and captivating, but ultimately went with a young, talented producer from Arizona named Silencyde. Two other re-mixers worked with us as well: 6 time Juno Award Winner/Nominee Dubmatix, Canada’s premiere dub and reggae producer, and Guido Craveiro, of the multi-platinum German band Seeed.” For anyone who loves reggae, or couldn’t get enough of the original Strictly Roots, this deluxe set does not disappoint.
Many refer to Morgan Heritage as either “The Royal Family of Reggae” or “The Rolling Stones of Reggae,” but this group remains humbled, true to their culture and, yes, their roots. On tour in America through December, with a new album expected in April 2017, the band looks at this latest release as a gift to fans. “We'd like this Deluxe Edition of Strictly Roots to light up everyone's holiday season with love from our family to yours.”
Strictly Roots (Deluxe Edition) Two Disc Tracklisting:
Disc One
1. Strictly Roots
2. Child of Jah (feat. Chronixx)
3. Light It Up (feat. Jo Mersa Marley)
4. Rise and Fall
5. Perform and Done
6. So Amazing (feat. J Boog, Jemere Morgan & Gil Sharone)
7. Wanna Be Loved (feat Eric Rachmany of Rebelution)
8. Why Dem Come Around
9. We Are Warriors (feat Bobby Lee of SOJA)
10. Put It On Me
11. Sunday Morning
12. Celebrate Life
13. Keep on Jammin’ (feat. Shaggy)
Disc Two
1. Talk Dem Ah Talk
2. Lion Order
3. Come Fly (feat. Flogging Molly)
4. Rise Up
5. Light It Up (Silencyde Remix)
6. Light It Up (Guide Craveiro Remix)
7. Light It Up (Dubmatix Blaze Up Remix
Tour Dates:
12/05/16 @ Indochine – Jacksonville, FL
12/07/16 @ Manor – Washington, DC
12/08/16 @ Royal Peacock – Atlanta, GA
12/09/16 @ Farotage – Raleigh, NC
12/14/16 @ Kays Oasis – Boston, MA
12/15/16 @ Toads Place – New Haven, CT
12/16/16 @ BB Kings – New York, NY
12/17/16 @ MP Ultra Lounge – Norfolk, VA
12/18/16 @ Copa – Richmond, VA
