"MONTEGO BAY"

Since the 1960s, the Rastafarian way of life has provided the cultural depth that makes reggae unlike any other popular music. Rastafarians have expressed their adherence to a disciplined diet, allegiance to an African homeland and especially the exaltation of Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie I as the Messiah in many of reggae's most memorable songs. But the Rastafarian female voice is rarely heard in reggae and even scarcer is the Rastafarian female artist who possesses a repertoire of hits appealing to traditional reggae fans and dancehall devotees alike Staking her claim towards obliterating Jamaican music's longstanding gender determined restrictions is sing-jay Queen Ifrica whose stirring mix of spiritually empowering anthems, lover's rock tunes and searing social commentaries are featured on her much anticipated, dynamic debut for VP Records, "Montego Bay", which will be released on June 16.

Born Ventrice Morgan on March 25. 1975, Queen Ifrica was raised by her mother and stepfather, as well as a supportive Rastafarian community in Jamaica's resort capital Montego Bay "The name Ifrica was given to me by my mom; she and my step dad were of the Rastafarian faith and that is where my real cultural awareness comes from," she reveals. Ifrica was in her 20s before she really got to know her father, pioneering ska singer Derrick Morgan, but the two enjoy a close relationship today. "We have a serious connection and we don't miss the fact that we didn't know each other for that period." Ifrica explains. "Sometimes he gives me advice on how to get my melodies people friendly and it is appreciated because he is from where the music began"

Queen Ifrica initially attracted attention when she outshone the other contestants at a 1995 talent contest held at Montego Bay's Club Inferno. But it was an auspicious December 1998 meeting with venerable cultural sing-jay and producer Patrick "Tony Rebel" Barrett, following her performance at a concert honoring the late reggae singer Garnet Silk, which provided Ifrica with a significant opportunity in the music business. Ifrica's performance of two Silk tunes so impressed Rebel (who had mentored the beloved Silk early in his career), he offered to cultivate her talent through his Kingston based Flames Productions. "I saw the same qualities in that performance I have seen in other males who became big stars including Garnet Silk," comments Rebel, who produced six of the thirteen songs on "Montego Bay", several of which he co-wrote with Ifrica. "Over the years I watched her develop into a fine artist."

That vision has become a glorious reality as Queen Ifrica now commands audiences of thousands performing at concerts in the United States, at European festivals and especially at stage shows across Jamaica where her music's ability to torch societal ills has earned her the affectionate moniker "Fyah Muma". The breadth of Queen Ifrica's extraordinary writing talents and the unmistakable conviction that now characterizes her vocals can be heard throughout "Montego Bay".

The album opens with T.T.P.N.C." which stands for Tribute to The Pitfour Nyabinghi Center located in Montego Bay. The Rebel produced song honors the elders within the Rastafarian community where Ifrica was raised Several of those elders lend their reverential drumming and chanting to 'T.T.P.N.C." supporting Ifrica's rousing recitation of praises to the Most High and reinforcing the resolute Rastafarian female tenor that distinguishes "Montego Bay" from the majority of reggae releases.

The first single for the international market "Lioness on the Rise" was produced by Donovan Germain whose label Penthouse Records played a significant role in Rebel's early '90s career ascent. Sung over a luxuriant one drop rhythm, Ifrica's vocals assuredly deliver the call and response chorus that summarizes her music's role in uplifting her people: "You can call me by my name (I am ready to roll), once the rules remain the same (how the story's been told), call me any time (never cop out) a lioness is on the rise, don't you ever have doubt".

The lioness brings a 21 st century edge to Rasta chanting traditions on " Yad the East" produced by Steve and Adrian Locke and Victan Edmunds. Here Ifrica extols Haile Selassie 1 through street savvy rhymes chatted in a guttural deejay style: "you never see Haiie Selassie I a go hype yet, and the man neva big up wrongs over right yet/Babylon said dem have the vision but them no sight yet/but it it a credit card dem ready fi go swipe it".

The classic rhythm from the Rastafari anthem Satta Massagana is updated on Rebel's production of "Coconut Shell", a celebration of the Rastafarian sacred herb, marijuana, with the Queen's smoky delivery lingering in your head like billowing clouds of sensimilia. Donovan Germain reworks another timeless rhythm, ''Movie Star" for his production of "Don't Sign" which urges caution before making a decision, as Ifrica rightly warns: "the fine print always have a secret code and it could hurt you down the road"

The African inspired choral chants on "Calling Africa", another Rebel production, fortify Ifrica's words, which underscore some of the maladies afflicting the motherland and what her children scattered throughout the Diaspora must do to assist her. "A lot of genocide is taking place in Africa, whether it is through AIDs or the situation in Darfur," Ifrica declares, ''and this song says we need to come together to do something and the African leaders have a big role to play in directing us."

Ifrica displays her romantic side over a mesmeric one-drop heat on the rapturously sung hit "Far Away", produced by Rickman Warren. She demonstrates even greater vocal diversity on another lovers rock tune "In My Dreams", produced by C. Hurst, where her quixotic husky tone is reminiscent of the iconic song stylist Nina Simone.

Queen Ifrica continually defends the children through her music. Her 2008 hit "Keep It To Yourself" produced by Donovan "Don Corleon" Bennett, finds the Fyah Muma blazing against the increasing atrocities experienced by children in Jamaica and worldwide, and the corrupt forces unwilling to penalize such heinous actions.

Jamaica's spiraling gun violence, which affects all ages, is addressed in the Rebel produced "Streets Are Bloody", a previously released tune is redone here acoustically as a heartfelt tribute to 20 year old Flames engineer E' jon Peart who was killed at a Kingston dance when a Jamaican soldier opened fire on an unsuspecting crowd.

It takes an exceptionally sophisticated writer to translate topics as solemn as incest, random violence and abject poverty into hit songs; scarcer still is the artist whose uncompromised opinions posit possible answers to these social disorders. Queen Ifrica achieves that rarefied balance throughout "Montego Bay" and the strikingly complex Rastafarian female voice she brings to reggae is certain to engage the uninitiated as well as the seasoned fan.

"I want people who hear this record to understand what my aspirations are for this world." she discloses. "All that effort we put towards dispute support we can put towards solution support."

A lioness is on the rise, don't you ever have doubt.

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