Wednesday, October 8, 2025

Hopeton Lindo tops South Florida Reggae Chart with sixth album

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This Song’s For You, Hopeton Lindo’s sixth album, has been number one on the South Florida Reggae Chart for the past two weeks.

It was released on July 18 by Zojak Worldwide.

Lindo, who produced six of the set’s 10 tracks for his Irie Pen Records, told Observer Online that a lot of hard work went into the project.

“One thing I learned from being around people like Gussie (Clarke) and King Jammy. There are no shortcuts; just take your time and do things properly,” he said.

This Song’s For You came out two years after Purpose, Lindo’s previous album. While many artistes release an album every year, he said that has never been his approach.

“It’s been in the making for a while, but I was focusing on completing some other projects for my Irie Pen team first. I just felt now is the time to drop my first solo lovers rock album, especially for the ladies who are a major part of my fan base,” he explained.

This Song’s For You includes a cover of A House Is Not A Home, originally done by Dionne Warwick. He co-produced it with Syl Gordon.

Other songs on the album are Hot Number, Magnet and Good Woman.

As an artiste, Lindo is best known for songs like Territory and Lonely Night. He emerged as a formidable songwriter during the 1980s and 1990s as part of Clarke’s Music Works camp.

While there, he wrote or co-wrote Telephone Love by JC Lodge, Mr Loverman by Shabba Ranks, and Ragamuffin by Dennis Brown and Freddie McGregor.

— Howard Campbell

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‘Call To Balance’ among those vying for 2026 Grammy nomination

When Kēvens submitted his album, Call To Balance, to the Grammy Awards committee for consideration in its Best Reggae Album category, their initial response was positive.

But on October 1, the Miami-based singer-songwriter was contacted by the Grammy committee which informed him that Call To Balance would be in the preliminary running for Album of The Year and Best Global Album at next year’s awards.

The set is a blend of dub, reggae and dancehall which Kēvens first heard as a youth in South Florida. The dreadlocked artiste says he and like-minded colleagues introduced that mash to fans in Miami’s clubs in the early 1990s. It was a precursor to what became electronic dance music (EDM).

“This moment represents more than an industry milestone. It's validation of a 25-year journey that started in Miami's underground scene when I first introduced reggae EDM at the 1998 Florida Zenfest,” Kēvens told Observer Online.

Call To Balance contains songs with social messages, like Save Me and Sonadores Legales. The latter is a Spanish interpretation of Legal Dreamers, which reintroduced him to the music scene after a two-year absence.

Kēvens grew up on Jamaican music, with Yellowman, Super Cat and Tenor Saw among his favourite artists. Later, he befriended multi-instrumentalist Bob Zohn, co-founder of the Blue Riddim Band, a groundbreaking reggae unit from Kansas City, Missouri.

“I befriended their guitar player Randy Bernsen and bassist Charles Norkus, who was a student of (bass legend) Jaco Pastorius. I used to go to Charles's house to record some of my earliest jams,” Kēvens recalled. “These musicians were at the top of their game, and I found myself working on music with them. That environment gave me a thirst for creativity beyond the norm, and those lessons have carried me through to this very moment.”

The nominees for the 68th Grammy Awards will be announced on November 7. The Grammys are scheduled for February 1 at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.

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