Jay Douglas pays tribute to reggae legend Dennis Brown with his timely cover of The World Is Troubled — showcasing today on Tinnitist.
In a world where treasured vocalists are born, covering a legend’s classic isn’t for the weak or meek. Thankfully, Toronto singer Douglas is neither — as he makes perfectly clear with his remake of a song by an artist Bob Marley called one of the greatest reggae singers in the world.
“I’ve always been a big fan of Dennis Brown and his music,” Douglas says. “The Crown Prince of Reggae was a kind man who would give you his last dollar if he saw you needed it. He had a great R&B style and did wonderful renditions of many rhythm and blues classics like Ben E. King’s Spanish Harlem.”
Despite its vintage, The World Is Troubled is a relevant reflection of what humanity has metamorphosed into. The singer interpolates the original song’s central message: “The world is troubled, but not the people of this world.” The remake also features artist fellow Toronto singer Tasha T, who makes her mark with her powerful delivery of lines such as, “I wonder if you know what is going on every day / So much to do and so much to say… Let them not set us apart / The greed is tearing us apart.”
Douglas also reached out to Jamaican drummer Lowell Fillmore — better known by his moniker Sly Dunbar — to collaborate on the song. “He was on the original track,” Douglas explains. “So he got together the same guys that recorded the original.”
Like Dunbar, Douglas found his introduction to the limelight in Montego Bay. From there, his natural charisma and irresistible charm have led to a successful and continuing 45-plus year career in entertainment, through which he has developed a passion for American blues, West Indian rhythms and jazz standards.
Douglas’s tactile and impactful performances are the reason he was named Toronto’s Best R&B Act by NOW Magazine in 2006 and won the Toronto Reggae Awards’ Male Reggae Vocalist Of The Year prize in 2007. These accolades drew the attention of Seattle label Light In The Attic, who chose Douglas to headline their From Jamaica to Toronto tour. Douglas was nominated for Reggae Recording Of The Year at the 2020 Juno Awards for his collaboration with General Trees on Jah Children.
Check out The World Is Troubled above, sample more from Jay Douglas below, and find him at his website, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
