Listen to any one of Sean Paul’s seven studio albums and/or three times as many singles, and you’ll be hard-pressed to notice a difference in the sound of his voice – despite a two-decade career, his “yeah yeahs” sound as distinctive and fresh as they did when first uttered on his 2000 debut album Stage One.
But many things have changed since then – two years later, Grammy award-winning Dutty Rock kicked the door open and soon his voice became as commonplace in pop music as it had been in dancehall reggae. In the years since, Sean Paul (full name Sean Paul Ryan Francis Henriques), who is among the headliners at this weekend’s Cali Roots Festival (see more, p. 22), has worked with every musician from Beyoncé to Santana. Even with all this success, to hear Paul talk about his music is to hear an artist who is humble and appreciative.
“For the performance, you can expect high energy… we bring a whole other culture to you,” Jamaican-born Paul says to his Monterey audience. “Unity is the best community. Especially in my show.”
Paul’s latest album, Scorcha, will be released on Friday, May 27 and is the second of two albums produced during the pandemic. The other was the 2021 Grammy-nominated Live N Livin (the first album he served as executive producer for his own label, Dutty Rock).
Paul contrasts the two albums in this way: “The difference is that one – Live N Livin – is more hardcore dancehall and this one – Scorcha – is just hot for all types of reasons. It is dancehall, but it’s also internationally aimed. I think a lot of communities on earth will get it.
“The album is special to me because it shows a lot of growth,” Paul adds.
Some of that growth is evident in the scope of the album. With songs ranging from deeply reflective (“Borrowed Time”) to party anthems (“Calling On Me [feat. Tove Lo]”), Paul seems to be covering his musical bases.
Come Sunday, when you hear the sound of one of the most iconic voices of the past 20 years, when you are waving your hands in the air, dancing to songs that maybe you have introduced to your kids or your kids have introduced to you (pick your Sean Paul era) – remember that you are listening to the voice of an artist still appreciative of your presence.
Yeah yeah.
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