Beres Hammond

He is considered Jamaica’s greatest practicing singer/songwriter and anyone who has listened to his CDs or experienced the fervor elicited by his live performances would undoubtedly agree with that top-ranking assessment. His recent appearance at Jamaica’s premier music festival, Reggae Sumfest, was unanimously hailed as the finest of the three-night event as he tore through hit after hit, some dating back to the mid 70s, consistently captivating an audience of nearly 20,000 who sang along so loudly to his beloved songs, they sometimes threatened to drown him out. That Sumfest 2008 performance was but another special moment in time within this adored artist’s enduring and truly exceptional career.

The passionate singing, superb songwriting and consummate showmanship displayed by Beres Hammond at Sumfest, which has distinguished his music over the past 35 years, brilliantly shines throughout his latest release, the aptly titled “A Moment In Time”. Estimated by Beres to be his 25th album, “A Moment In Time” offers organically crafted rhythms, created by Jamaica’s finest musicians, ranging from sultry R&B to rousing gospel accents, avant-garde jazz to mesmerizing roots reggae. An almost entirely self produced effort recorded at Beres’ Harmony House studio in Kingston, “A Moment In Time” features fourteen new selections including the devotional “I’ll Live Again”, a percussive driven homage to the motherland “Talking Africa” and several lovers rock tunes reflecting the vicissitudes of romantic relationships for which Beres sets the standard in contemporary (Jamaican) music. “Reggae is my foundation so I give much respect and love to it, but I don’t call myself a reggae singer, the Father would never forgive me for that,” says the 53 year old singer/songwriter/producer. “I sing what feels good, so any which form the music comes in, a hard-core reggae vibe or a little more subtle, you find a rhythm that complements what you are saying. When I started out, I never saw R&B, reggae, ballads, no, I just knew I had a voice and I wanted to make music that fits the voice.”