Moziyah

Born Andrew Roberts at 50 Red Hills Road in Kingston, the music capitol of Jamaica, Moziyah grew up in front of the recording studios and outdoor dances, singing competitively from the age of seven. Moziyah acknowledges the influence of reggae greats such as Bob Marley, Peter Tosh and Burning Spear, but was raised on the next wave of reggae artists such as Morgan Heritage, Anthony B., Sizzla Kolongi, Jah Cure and Jah Mason, while honing his vocal technique imitating the soul and R&B singers of the '60s. Now his days of imitation are far behind, and one listen to "CrossRoads" proves that Moziyah sounds like no one but himself.

The influence of American Soul music on Jamaican roots reggae mirrors Moziyah's transnationalism; he moved from Kingston to the United States in 1997 and embraces all kinds of music. "Music is music," Moziyah says, "but reggae is my foundation. Righteous music is what I do." "CrossRoads" combines Moziyah's distinctive vocal sound, a pulsing groove, and lyrics that express his Rastafari spirituality. Recorded with Trevor Sugar at Florida's Many Moods of Music studio, "CrossRoads" is a song of struggle and transcendence. Moziyah says:

The song emphasizes struggle, a man's struggle, a human struggle within his lifespan. Everyone goes through it. Everyone goes through a point in their life where they have to make a significant change. It also represents the day we're living in, the time we're living in, and how hard it is to survive, how easy it is to get into trouble. It's about survival, awareness, about understanding, on a spiritual level. This is living -- I live it. It's part of my pain, part of my journey.

In the great Studio One tradition, Trevor Sugar created the backing track for "CrossRoads" and Moziyah wrote the lyrics and vocal melody to go with it. "CrossRoads" will be made available to radio in anticipation of a full-length album to follow. Until then, enjoy a sneak peek at one of the newest and most original artists of the roots reggae revival.

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