Page 2
November 29, 2000
Focus
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S U P P L E M E N T
O F
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On Portland
Delivers More
Powerhouse Singles With His New Album
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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
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ring, autobiographical portrait o f the
lyn, NY, Shaggy soon began pursu
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^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
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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
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if accom panied by a self-
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1 W Th« Portland Observer
89.1
O regon S ymiiionv
James DcPreist, Music Director & Conductor
ARLENE SCHNITZER CONCERT HALL • SW M ain & Broadway