‘She Loves Me Now (Alternative Mixes)’
If Jamaica was ever in need of a new national anthem, then surely the immortal “Real Rock,” originally composed in 1967 by Vin Gordon, Jackie Mittoo and the Sound Dimension band at Coxson Dodd’s Studio One, would be the obvious choice.
The instrumental proved to be incredibly popular on the island upon release and has since become an essential part of every reggae event worldwide, so, in the great Jamaican tradition of recycling riddims, a plethora of vocal cuts followed from the likes of Sugar Minott, Willie Williams, Dennis Brown, and Junior Murvin, to name but a few and every producer worth their salt has since recut this evergreen riddim for each new generation.
Fast forward to the early nineties, when hard-edged, uptempo bashment and ragga were the order of the day. Certain producers were going against the grain by revisiting the vintage sound of young Jamaica and updating the classics for modern audiences using contemporary studio techniques and equipment to record the era’s most talented musicians. One such producer was Phillip ‘Fatis’ Burrell of Xterminator Records, who, at the peak of his powers, was one of the most revered on the island, working with the likes of Sizzla, Ini Kamoze, Beres Hammond and an in-demand singer from Rocky Point in the parish of Clarendon, Colvin Scott, known to the world as Cocoa Tea.
And so to “She Loves Me Now (Alternate Mixes)”, VP Records’ latest discovery while archiving their extensive digital audio tape (DAT) collection. Cocoa Tea was no stranger to the “Real Rock” riddim, having recorded a couple of cuts on the riddim previously, however, on Fatis’ version of the Studio One staple, he sounds impeccable. His sweet, honeyed vocals sit perfectly on top of the riddim provided by Sly & Robbie and the Firehouse Crew recorded and mixed at Music Works Studio, Kingston, Jamaica. Originally released in 1993, the track also appeared on Cocoa Tea’s long players Good Life and Tune In for VP Records and Greensleeves Records, respectively, in 1994.
This new-to-streaming extended single is due for release on Valentine’s Day 2025. The package includes the vocal mix, a discomix plus a lean and mean dub, complete with hypnotic bells, pitch-shifting delays and colossal, cavernous reverb.
