Words by Eddie STATS Houghton, Martei Korley and Jesse Serwer, Photo by Martei Korley.
Beres at New York Reggae Festival, Coney Island ’94
Trying to win a Caribbean woman’s heart? You’ll probably want to brush up on your Beres Hammond then. For more than three decades, the “King of Jamaican Lovers Rock” has been making ladies throughout the West Indies (and the diaspora) swoon—all in spite of his regular-guy image and appearance. As fans of both sexes will tell you, it’s all in the smoky-sweet, “Bourbon on the rocks” voice—a blend of Sam Cooke and Marvin Gaye’s rich tones, with a Caribbean lilt. Today, Beres’ long-time label VP Records is releasing Our Favorite Beres Hammond Songs, a compilation of covers by Jah Cure, Busy Signal, Tarrus Riley, Marcia Griffiths and more. We’ve got our own list of favorites, and although his well of hits is virtually bottomless, we’ve winnowed things down to an even 10. Ladies only now… leave your favorites/opinions/messages for Beres in the comments.