AN exciting musical collaboration bringing together Scotland and Jamaica is being included in the new Songs for Scotland album.
Warmongerers By Name is a reggae makeover of Ye Jacobites By Name, written by Robert Burns in 1791 as an anti-war song.
Sung by Jamaican singer Brina, it is taken from the forthcoming album, Jamaica Sings Robert Burns, which will be released tomorrow.
The album features a host of Jamaican artists, including the legendary Ken Boothe.
When Brina first heard the song in Scotland, she got goosebumps.
"I knew I had to record it and give it a modern twist in a reggae riddim, and chant it for the whole world to hear,” she said.
According to producer Kieran C Murray, one of the most exciting aspects of the recording is that it combines Scottish bagpipes with Jamaican reggae music, “It’s the first time that’s been done, so we are creating a little bit of history,” he said.
He added: “We must send a message to the warmongerers and arms dealers of the world, and play this song loud from our stereos, radio stations, and sound systems.”
The pair took their inspiration for the album from the story that Burns was so desperate for funds that he planned to emigrate to Jamaica. The publication of his first book of poems apparently changed his mind.
“We thought, what if he had gone – what would his songs have sounded like?” said Murray. “Jamaica and Scotland have a lot of shared history that needs to be explored.
"We can learn a lot from each other and we are trying to do that through music. With this Robert Burns project we are trying to bring the two countries closer together.
“It is probably the biggest ever musical cross-cultural collaboration between Scotland and Jamaica and it works because both Burns and reggae music are so universal.”
The pair say they are delighted the single – released last week - has been picked for the new Songs for Scotland album, which is aimed at keeping culture at the heart of the independence debate. The project is also raising money for a scholarship to support young musicians, named after Scots polymath Alasdair Gray.
“I’m honoured to be on Songs for Scotland 2 with the best of Scottish artists,” said Brina, who splits her time between Scotland and Jamaica. “What it stands for is great. I am in support of Scotland as an independent country and I like that the project is also celebrating Alasdair Gray. I love the intricacies of his art work and his message that you should work as if you live in the early days of a better nation.
“Everybody must feel that level of responsibility – to have a country that represents peace and love and could be an exemplar country for the rest of the world to look up to.
“I think a mature level of inclusiveness and integration in Scotland is beginning to take seed, and through music we can reinforce that.”
Murray added that he believes that artists in general have a huge role to play, not just in Scotland but globally.
“If we examine what a lot of artists sing about, there is a lot there we should be listening to,” he pointed out.
Visit jamaicasingsburns.com to follow the story. Warmongerers By Name is available to download from all digital music stores.
Tickets to the Songs For Scotland 2 launch event, An Evening for Alasdair Gray, on November 29 in the auditorium at the Oran Mor are now on sale – for details see bit.ly/SongsScotland.
A free copy of Native Musicians: Songs for Scotland 2 will be included with each ticket.
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