Words by Eddie STATS Houghton
Yes, you read the headline correctly. In yet another validation of the universal appeal (and selling power) of Caribbean music, entertainment giant Disney recently announced the release of it’s first all-reggae project, with a roots version of Louis Armstrong’s “It’s a Wonderful World” by Ziggy Marley (click here for a preview) as the lead single. As he discussed with LU in our recent interview, Ziggy has carved a niche for himself as the king of kiddy-bop lately with his Grammy win and Nickelodeon theme songs.
Besides contributions from the Marley extended-fam, the work of ex-pat reggae acts like UB40, Steel Pulse and Matisyahu are emphasized in the LP’s promotional material but a closer look at the tracklisting reveals a strong line-up of reggae legends from Burning Spear to Morgan Heritage and even King Yellowman. The project is aptly titled the Disney Reggae Club and dropping on June 8th–apparently Disney Execs rejected the alternate title Mickey Mouse meets Sly & Robbie Uptown inna di G0-Go Club. Just kidding.