Saturday, October 11, 2025

Ride Cowboy Ride makes Grammy consideration list

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Ride Cowboy Ride by country-reggae singer Wesrok, is one of 132 songs considered for the Best Country Solo Performance category, at next year’s Grammy Awards.

The preliminary lists for music’s biggest showpiece were released on October 3 by the Recording Academy.

Ride Cowboy Ride, released last June, was named alongside songs by country legend Dolly Parton and contemporary stars such as Brad Paisley, Jason Aldean, and Luke Bryan.

“It is a wonderful feeling; words can’t explain. This is an inspiration to me to do more each day,” Wesrok told the Jamaica Observer. “My expectations for the song were very high because it has the authentic country flavour produced in Nashville by Beaird Studio and 360 Global Entertainment.”

The Grammy consideration lists are a precursor to the actual nominations which will be announced on November 7. To be eligible for nomination music must be released within a specific time frame (August 31 2024 to August 30 2025) for the 2026 Grammys.

Most Grammy categories have a maximum of five nominees.

The 2026 Grammy Awards are scheduled for February 1 at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.

Ride Cowboy Ride was released around the same time as True Love, Wesrok’s collaboration with dancehall star Busy Signal and American reggae band Big Mountain. Its blend of country music and reggae is consistent with the songs he has released since launching his recording career five years ago with Poor Country Boy and Born As A Winner.

Approximately 73 albums and EPs are being considered for the Best Reggae Album Grammy.

Ghetto Reggae by Mr Vegas, Sherlock by Cham, and Vybz Kartel’s Heart & Soul were named in the preliminary list.

Bob Marley: One Love — Music Inspired by The Film (Deluxe) won the 2025 Grammy for Best Reggae Album.

— Howard Campbell

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Milton Blake looks to tap into vinyl market

Roots singer Milton Blake is looking to tap into the thriving vinyl market with the re-release of his album, Temporary Obstacle, on that format. It was released digitally six years ago.

Based in Cleveland, Ohio, the Rastafarian artiste cited two reasons for giving Temporary Obstacle a second run — a global demand for vinyl music, and requests from his fans.

“I set up a pre-release order link on my Bandcamp page, and orders have been placed. With that, I acted immediately, sending Temporary Obstacle to the pressing plant,” he said.

Temporary Obstacle, which has 12 songs, is Blake’s third album. It is produced by Lloyd Dennis for Pickout Records, a British company known for producing songs such as Cover Me by Tinga Stewart and Ninjaman, and True Love by Conrad Crystal.

The past 10 years has seen a resurgence in the vinyl market, which, since the 1980s, gave way to the compact disc, DVD and digital formats. As demand grows, record companies have released vinyl albums by leading acts such as Taylor Swift, Ed Sheeran, Tupac Shakur and The Beatles.

Blake launched his recording career in the early 1990s when there was still a big reggae vinyl market. While there was a dip in sales, he said it always had a niche following.

“Vinyls have never been out. The sales slowed down due to the enforcing of downloads. Many selectors/DJs found it more convenient, not having to carry the boxes of records anymore,” Blake noted. “Yet, there are many other selectors who just play vinyls only.”

The dreadlocked Blake, who is from Clarendon, was raised in Central Village, St Catherine. He migrated to the United States in 2009 and has made a name in the Midwest touring with his River Nile Band.

—   Howard Campbell

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