How much is too much

Krista Henry and Mel Cooke, Sunday Gleaner Writers

On Wednesday, June 29, a day before International Reggae Day 2011, Sizzla released what he said was his 65th studio album at the place where it was recorded, King Jammy's studio in Waterhouse, St Andrew.

While the figure is strikingly high, it is even more remarkable considering the time span in which the albums were done.

Expert advises against giving up quality for quantity of albums.

In 1997 Sizzla delivered the album double which established him, Black Woman and Child for producer Bobby Digital, and Praise Ye Jah for Exterminator Records. This was after an unremarkable album debut with Burning Up two years before.

Between 1997 and his latest release, Sizzla has done an astonishing 61 studio albums. One of the high points was the late 2002 Da Real Thing, again produced by Bobby Digital, in 2002. Among the album's outstanding tracks were Simplicity, Solid as a Rock, Thank You Mama and Just One of Those Days.

However, the notes for the album on retail website CDUniverse.com are telling:

"The leader of the Bobo Dread contingent continues to flirt with overexposure on this, his fifth release of 2002 (not counting Best of Sizzla: The Story Unfolds, also released in 2002)."

The day after The Scriptures was officially presented to the public, speaking at the 'Saluting Reggae Vanguards' symposium at the University of the West Indies, Mona, Evah Gordon presented the album statistics for the three persons whose work was being analysed. He said that Burning Spear has the fewest albums - over 50, including compilations - while Brown had over 200 (including compilations) and Isaacs had over 500 albums, including compilations.

Isaacs's last solo album before he died last year was Brand New Me, released in 2009. Isaacs Meets Isaac, done by Gregory Isaacs and King Isaac, earned the 'Cool Ruler' a posthumous Grammy nomination.

Strong stance

While some may see a flood of albums as indicative of an artiste's creativity, producer Mikey Bennett of Grafton Music takes a very strong stance against putting out too many projects.

"If Gregory Isaacs and Dennis Brown had been as responsible with their output as Bob Marley, the quality would have been much better," he said.

In the 1970s, on his inexorable march to international stardom and legendary mass and critical appeal, Bob Marley and the Wailers released albums at a steady pace of about one a year for Island Records. The run started with Catch a Fire (1973) and ended, while Marley was alive, with Uprising (1980), with Confrontation released posthumously in 1983.

"You can't write a good song every day. Some people think they can do it, but the records are there to prove it," Bennett said, adding that some artistes' discographies are "watered down".

"In remembering Gregory we talk about the number of songs he did. I wish he had done one-tenth," Bennett said, adding that it also applies to Brown, who he considers a favourite singer.

There are those who have taken album releases at a much slower pace.

In January Protoje launched his first album, The 7 Year Itch, the culmination of seven years of musical progress. Tarrus Riley hit the big times in 2006 with Parables, which contains the enduring hit She's Royal, and followed with Contagious in 2009.

The biggest selling reggae artiste currently active, Shaggy, has maintained a roughly two-year gap between albums since the 1993 Pure Pleasure, with Boombastic (1995), Midnite Lover (1997), Hotshot (2000), Lucky Day (2002), Clothes Drop (2005) and Intoxication (2007).

Similar to Shaggy is Sean Paul. The artiste released his debut album Stage One (2000) and hit International success with Dutty Rock in 2002. The Trinity followed in 2005 and Imperial Blaze came in 2009. Sean Paul is now working on his fifth album, which is slated for release at the end of this year.

Damian 'Junior Gong' Marley is another good example. He released his debut album Mr Marley in 1996, followed by Halfway Tree in 2001, which pivoted him to stardom. The much acclaimed Welcome to Jamrock was to come in 2005. Last year, Marley went back to the studio for his effort with rapper Nas called Distant Relatives.

Internationally, the pace of album releases varies as well through genres and generations. The much-loved country star Kenny Rogers, who has wowed fans at the Air Jamaica Jazz & Blues twice, has a whopping number of albums over his long career.

Having started recording in the mid-1950s, CDUniverse.com lists 435 albums from Rogers, which includes a number of 'Greatest Hits', 'Live Performance albums', 'Christmas Specials' and more.

Another Jazz and Blues favourite Australian super group Air Supply released their first album in 1976 and has since produced 66 albums, compilations and greatest hits.

Producing at a slower rate are acts like Maroon 5 and Usher, both recent performers in Jamaica.

Since coming together in 1995, Maroon 5 has produced three studio albums starting with 2002's Songs About Jane and, more recently, 2010's Hands All Over, as well as four live albums and one compilation album. R&B crooner Usher, rose to fame in the late 1990s and his catalogue includes six studio albums, one live album and eight compilations.

Work of art

For singjay Protoje, who spent seven years honing his craft, an album is a work of art.

He told The Sunday Gleaner: "An album, for me, is the definitive way to express your message and your music as a body of work. It puts your music in a time capsule. When someone looks back at your career that is what is used to define our contribution."

It is a contribution for Protoje that thus far spawned hits such as Rasta Love with Ky-Mani Marley, Arguments, Dread and others. While his next album won't be taking as long as his debut, the artiste has no intentions of over-saturating the market. Protoje has a clear idea of what he plans for his musical future and his bodies of work.

"I would say I would release an album, about one every two years. I like to give the album time to breathe and really promote the songs on it. When I was younger seven albums was my goal."

Writing for his sophomore album, which is expected for release late next year, has already begun.

He was reluctant, however, to give details, still wanting fans to focus on the message of The 7 Year Itch.

Bennett points to Cocoa Tea as someone who is taking a measured approach to releasing albums and it is working, as his standing internationally continues to rise. Cocoa Tea released his Yes We Can album in 2009, telling The Sunday Gleaner then that it could be "'bout the 22nd, could be more, but no less" full-length studio effort.

His first album in 1985 with hits such as Rocking Dolly and Lost My Sonia for 'Volcano' producer Henry 'Junjo' Lawes, was some time in the making. Cocoa Tea said some of the tracks on Yes We Can went back years.

He plans to put out his next album, Whey De Reggae Deh? in time for the 2012 Olympics in London, England.

Bennett advises artistes to "take the Cocoa Tea way, the Beres Hammond way". And he advises "no more than one album a year".

"You must record many songs, you must keep writing, And you must file the - good, not so good, great, classic."