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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 29, 2000)
Page 2 November 29, 2000 Focus A S U P P L E M E N T O F ®lje IjJnrtbniii (Obscrurr Focus On Portland Delivers More Powerhouse Singles With His New Album subscriptionii1Jx)rt]andobser\rT.«)m Some people ju st love a chal lenge. G ram m y-w inning superstar Shaggy is one o f those people. L ike the # lh it around the w orld w ith his first m ajor label single “Oh C arolina", or the tim e he w alked unno ticed through a crow ded arena before a concert, then required an escort on the w ay out because o fth e m o b o f n e w ly - w o n fans. Shaggy's fa v o r- ite c h a lle n g e , how ever, is one he poses to h im se lf every tim e he enters the studio and draw s on his lim itless hit-m aking talent. That ex perience m ust have becom e routine for Shaggy w hile creating his new MCA album "H ot Shots” . In its thir teen tracks, "H ot Shots” proves Shaggy rem ains a m aster o f many styles - from reggae and dancehall to pop/R & B - m aking it a happy hunting ground for every kind o f m usic fan. For fans accustom ed to Shaggy ’s w ell-know n party vibe, som e o f the sentim ents on “ Hot S hot” might com e as a surprise. "H o p e” (fea tured in the K evin C ostner film “For T he Love O f The G am e”) is a stir artist as a young man. "T he song is a little out o f character for m e," says Shaggy. “It’s a little deeper and more , sensitive.” T eal- \ bum also in- eludes a new v e rs io n o f Shaggy’s hit “LuvM e,Luv M e ,” o r ig i nally featured on te soundtrack to “H ow Stella I . G ot H er < G ro o v e Back.” Though he has lived his entire adult life in the U.S., Shaggy’s roots are in Kingston, Jamaica, w here he was bom Orvil le Richard Burrel 1 on Octo ber 22, 1968. As a kid, his friends nicknamed him “ Shaggy” after the omnivorous character from the car toon “Scooby Doo.” M usic was his passion, even as a boy growing up in the island nation. “Reggae isn’t a radio format in Jam aica,” he says. “They ju st play w hat they want, so my influences range from ska, dancehall and rock steady to soka and R&B.” Leaving Jam aica at the age o f 18 tojoin his m other in Brook ads@ pordandobserver.com ring, autobiographical portrait o f the lyn, NY, Shaggy soon began pursu Editor in Chief, Publisher C harles H. W ashington Editor L arry J . Ja ck so n , Sr. Copy Editor J o y R am os Business Manager G ary A n n Taylor Creative Director R obert P arker 4747 N E M a rtin L u th er King, J r., Blvd. P o rtlan d , O R 97211 503-288-0033 Fax 503-288-0015 e-mail: thefocus@ portlandobserver.com ^lortlanh (©bgeruer ing a musical career. He got a m ajor boost when "M am pie” and"B ig Up," both hard-core Shaggy dancehall tracks, hit # 1 on the N ew York reggae charts. After a frustrating year o f trying to find more work. Shaggy finally joined the U.S. M arines in 1988. A few years later, he found him self in the Iraqi desert fighting in the G u lf War, where he acquitted him self with honor. “W ar is ugly,” Shaggy says. "It had a big impact on me, in termso('appreciating life. When I got out I decided, 'This is it, I’m taking my music to the height.’” Since then, he has contributed songs to several notable soundtracks, includ ing “Speed II,” “Jungle To Jungle,” and o f course “H ow Stella Got Her Groove Back.” A n M CA release, this soundtrack w as the connection that brought Shaggy to MCA Records. "A ll I want to do is make classic- records,'’ says Shaggy. “The team around m e is extraordinary, and we ju st make music all day and all night. It d oesn't even feel like work. I ’d rather do this than anything.” with the Baló Folclórico da Bahia D e a d lin e s lor s u b m itte d m a te ria l: Articles: Friday by 5 p . m . Ads. Monday by Noon Wednesday, December 6, 2000 at 7:30 pm h d for the >ove of jazz Oregon Symphony does not perform. Spice up your holidays with “Carnaval 2000," a non-stop extravaganza of Afro-Brazilian music, song and dance by the 32 member troupe Balé Folclórico da Bahia. Focus w elcom es freelance Tickets start at $15 subm issions. M anuscripts an d “Exuberant, indefatigable and virtuosic, the dancers, singers and drummers... exploded with the Afro-Brazilian rhythms that are its special heritage." ph o to g rap h s can b e re tu rn e d - The New York Times if accom panied by a self- "...a medley of carnaval songs spilled over across the floodlights and got the audience up and dancing in the aisles. It was a big, loud, sweaty and rambunctious finale...!" - The San Francisco Chronicle addressed stam p ed envelope. .All created display ads becom e the sole p ro p erty of C a ll 5 0 3 - 2 2 8 - 1 3 5 3 the new spaper an d ca n n o t be or 1 - 8 0 0 - 2 2 8 - 7 3 4 3 • M o n .-S a t. 9 a m - 5 p m used in o th e r publications o r w w w .o r s y m p h o n y .o r g p ersonal usage w ithout th e w ritten co n sen t of the g eneral m anager, unless th e client has p u rch a sed th e co m position o f th e ad. 1 W Th« Portland Observer 89.1 O regon S ymiiionv James DcPreist, Music Director & Conductor ARLENE SCHNITZER CONCERT HALL • SW M ain & Broadway
