Jamaican/American reggae collective Easy Star All-Stars have announced that they’ll release their latest tribute album ‘Thrillah’ - a homage to the late Michael Jackson’s world-famous classic ‘Thriller’ - on August 27th.
Following up on the Easy Star All-Stars’ hugely successful reggae tribute albums ‘Dub Side of the Moon’ (2003), ‘Radiodread’ (2006) and ‘Easy Star’s Lonely Hearts Dub Band’ (2009). comes the New York-based super-group’s adaptation of the greatest selling record of all time – Michael Jackson’s ‘Thriller’.
A 16-date UK tour has been confirmed for November later this year, which coincides with the 30th Anniversary of the iconic original album’s release. The band’s live show is legendary, and having performed at Glastonbury Festival 2009 on 3 days across 3 stages (including the Pyramid Stage), they were nominated for a UK Festival Award. If you’re a fan and want to catch them this autumn, check the dates and details at the bottom of the article.
Easy Star’s ‘Thrillah’ brings back several of the reggae stars from previous albums, such as vocalists Michael Rose (Black Uhuru), Steel Pulse, Luciano, and Mojo Morgan (Morgan Heritage), alongside a diverse roster of guests, including Yossi Fine (David Bowie, Lou Reed), Joe Tomino (Dub Trio/Matisyahu), Andy Farag (Umphrey’s McGee), and horn tracks courtesy of Israel’s highly-acclaimed Hadag Nachash.
“I was most excited about Thriller,” says producer/arranger/guitarist Michael Goldwasser. “I was always an R&B/soul and reggae kid growing up and I have an intense personal connection to Michael Jackson’s music. Writing the arrangements for this album was a cool challenge. I didn’t have to try to make non-dance music into dance music as on our previous albums because the original Thriller is so danceable already, but I needed to find ways to make each song groove in a different way from the original version.”
Album track ‘Billy Jean’ is currently available as a free download here, while the ‘Billie Jean’ EP is out now, and includes two album tracks, along with non-album remixes and a dub version.
You can check out Easy Star All-Star tour dates below, and find tickets using our ticket comparison service.
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