The Archives
Carry Me Home. A Reggae Tribute To Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson
Montserrat House
May 27, 2020
”A Toast to the People”
NPR Music “Staff Pick”
“The gorgeous take on ‘Hatred’ slows down the charging soul of the original song as vocalist Puma Ptah imbues the cover with equal amounts poignancy and fire. Modern reggae covers of classic songs can be a crapshoot, but the group’s interpretation of this song balances the faithful with the inventive.”
Rolling Stone
“This version of ‘Hatred’ trades in the edgy anxiety of Scott-Heron’s scurrying original for a sedate, dub-reggae flow. But Puma Ptah holds onto the lyric’s core sense of pathos and frustration.”
The New York Times
Washington DC’s The Archives and Montserrat House, the label owned and operated by Thievery Corporation’s Eric Hilton, are proud to present Carry Me Home. A Reggae Tribute To Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson. Set for release digitally and on limited edition double vinyl LP with extended mixes and a bonus track on May 27, the date of Scott-Heron’s passing, Carry Me Home. is a highly ambitious collaboration featuring an array of guests celebrating the works of the late, great poet and musician Gil Scott-Heron and close collaborator Brian Jackson.
Accompanying the announcement is a lively rendition of “A Toast To The People” – the 1975 track featured on From South Africa to South Carolina – featuring Grammy-nominated soul singer Raheem DeVaughn. Founder of The Archives and co-producer of the album, Darryl “Trane” Burke, had the following to share about the forthcoming tribute:
“I’ve been meditating the proper way to approach this project for a few years now. I was fortunate to grow up in a home where Gil and Brian’s music played often alongside The Wailers, Burning Spear, Steel Pulse and many others. Reggae is also dubbed “Island Soul,” which to me makes this a perfect setting to present the music through a different lens while simultaneously highlighting the similarities.”
DC’s The Archives began when Thievery Corporation’s Eric Hilton began a quest to explore the roots of reggae music. The first self-titled album, Archives, was released eight years ago to critical and public acclaim. Now, Hilton has teamed up with Darryl “Trane” Burke, founder of The Archives, to co-produce a reggae tribute celebrating Gil Scott-Heron’s Jamaican heritage; his father, Gilbert Heron, was a famous Jamaican footballer and the first Black player in the Celtic league in Scotland. The tribute also highlights Scott-Heron’s still-relevant reflections on social justice and change. “Like Gil’s compositions, reggae contains elements of jazz and soul,“ says Hilton. “It’s the perfect backdrop to Gil’s revolutionary pan-Africanist lyrics.”
Carry Me Home. was led by the Pieces of a Man classic “Home Is Where The Hatred Is” which features singer Puma Ptah who hails from St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands and tours and records with Thievery Corporation’s live band. Other featured artists on the collection include: Jamaican dub poet Mutabaruka; soul singer Raheem DeVaughn; percussionist Larry MacDonald, a member of Scott-Heron's band Amnesia Express; Addis Pablo and Kenyatta Hill, offspring of reggae legends Augustus Pablo and Joseph Hill (Culture), respectively; Mustafa Akbar; and a special guest appearance by the one and only Brian Jackson.
Carry Me Home. A Reggae Tribute To Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson track listing:
Home Is Where The Hatred Is (feat. Puma Ptah)
Rivers Of My Fathers (feat. Addis Pablo, Puma Ptah)
Peace Go With You Brother (feat. Puma Ptah)
It’s Your World (feat. Brian Jackson, Puma Ptah)
Who’ll Pay Reparations On My Soul? (feat. Mustafa Akbar, Puma Ptah)
Song Of The Wind (feat. Puma Ptah)
Must Be Something (feat. Brian Jackson, Puma Ptah)
A Toast To The People (feat. Raheem DeVaughn)
The Revolution Will Not Be Televised (feat. Kenyatta Hill, Mateo Monk)
Cane (feat. Puma Ptah)
Revolution Disguised As Change (feat. Mutabaruka, Puma Ptah)
Winter In America (feat. Brian Jackson, Puma Ptah)
Home Is Where The Hatred Is Dub (I Grade Dub Mix)
Rivers Of My Fathers (I Grade Dub Mix) (VINYL ONLY)