The following night saw Richie Spice in superb form, playing to a sold-out crowd at Moe’s Alley, in Santa Cruz, which also recently played host to reggae singer, Junior Kelly. Armed with his catalogue of solid hits, along with select pieces from the soon-to-be-released album, Soothing Sounds: Acoustic, the musical maestro has been thrilling fans and enjoying himself, both on stage while performing and off stage doing interviews, signing autographs and posing for pictures with his legion of fans.
“So far the vibes have been great. The fans have been so appreciative and responsive. It’s a wonderful feeling to be on stage and feel the love flowing and hear the sing-along. What more could any artiste ask for?” Richie Spice said in an interview backstage. He added that he was still quite amazed that there was so much interest in the acoustic set.
“There is so much interest in this album that I think I should have put it out long ago,” Richie Spice said with a laugh. After the gig on October 8 in San Francisco at The Independent, Spice and his entourage moved on to the state of Oregon, where he is booked to perform at the Star Theatre in Portland on Friday. He ends the mini US tour on October 13 at the Nectar Lounge in Seattle, however, Richie Spice is steadily building the momentum as the release date approaches.
He explained that 15-track acoustic offering of socially-conscious, roots reggae songs has somehow put him on another level, musically, and has instilled in him a greater appreciation of the fusion of genres. Soothing Sounds: Acoustic has been hailed as a keepsake which showcases an eclectic mix of musical elements that fuse classic reggae vibes with modern day acoustic rock, Spanish guitar, jazz and African drum beats. The first two singles, Free, an uplifting call for unity and Crying, which depicts Spice's signature chanting-style as he conjures socially-conscious questions, are currently available on iTunes.
They are in heavy rotation in Jamaica and across reggae airwaves, worldwide. The video for Free, produced by Richie Spice and directed by Scorpio 21, debuted on television channels in Jamaica recently, while the video for Crying was shot on location in Jamaica two weeks ago and will be released later this month Standout tracks on Soothing Sounds: Acoustic include True Love, My Heart and My Girl, which put a new spin on classics from Spice's catalogue. For this album, Richie Spice teams up with some of reggae's top musicians, including Mitchum "Khan" Chin who co-produced the album, Robbie Shakespeare and Stephen "Lenky" Marsden. He also makes it a family affair with his brothers Spanner Banner and Snatcha Lion on the collaboration More Love.
