Winston “Niney the Observer” Holness, the legendary Jamaican producer and artiste, has released a new self-titled album at the age of 80.
Niney the Observer is out now via VPAL Music and marks his first full-length project in more than two decades.
The 14-track LP balances originals like Thank You for Coming, Working for Jah, Judas, and Kingston Blues with new versions of songs tied to his legacy, including Ken Boothe’s Silver Words.
It also reimagines Bob Marley’s Three Little Birds, The Temptations’ Ain’t Too Proud to Beg, and Eric “Monty” Morris’s Say What You’re Saying.
“This album is a message and a mission and I did it my way,” says Niney the Observer. “After all these years, I still have a lot to say… a lot to pass on, and also quite a bit to learn. I went for the best musicians and backing vocalists on this album, and I know that fans new and old will love and appreciate it. Music is my heart and soul, and this project represents that.”
The sessions were recorded at Niney’s Observer Soundbox on Lyndhurst Road in St Andrew and features an all-star line-up of musicians Sly Dunbar, Dean Fraser, Robbie Lyn, Flabba Holt, the late Dalton Browne, and Franklyn “Bubbler” Waugh, with backing vocals from Marcia Griffiths, Judy Mowatt, and Sandy Stewart.
The release adds a new chapter to a career that began in the 1960s and spans hit productions for Dennis Brown, Gregory Isaacs, Max Romeo, and Lee “Scratch” Perry, alongside Niney the Observer’s own landmark single
Blood & Fire.
Vested into Jamaica’s Order of Distinction in 2015, he remains a foundational figure whose productions helped define the sound of reggae. More than 50 years on, Niney the Observer reintroduces him as a singer with the same drive that shaped his works into standards.
