Glen Washington Released His Most Recent Album "Feeling Irie" Late Last Month

As a teenager, Glen Washington attended many dances in his native Clarendon parish, Jamaica. He and his friends would rock to the sounds of Treasure Isle, a leading music label from the 1960s.

Washington pays homage to that legendary label on Feeling Irie, his latest album that hears him singing songs on some of its classic rhythms. It was released on July 19 by LTK20 Recordz.

The Atlanta-based singer pitched the concept of recording on revamped Treasure Isle beats to Willie Lindo, the veteran guitarist and producer, who readily agreed. For the project, Lindo recruited Jackie Jackson, the influential bassist who played on most of the original tracks.

“Mi always love Treasure Isle, I grow up on those songs an’ dem never leave mi. I feel really good to know dat I can record these songs as a tribute to the label,” said Washington.

Treasure Isle was founded in the late 1950s in Kingston by Arthur “Duke” Reid, a former policeman who operated a sound system known as The Trojan. The label thrived during the ska and rock steady eras of the 1960s through artists like The Skatalites, Alton Ellis, The Paragons and The Techniques.

Reid, who was known to openly display his firearms during recording sessions, died from cancer in 1975.

Feeling Irie contains songs such as Equal Rights, Home Again, Put it Down and the title track.

This is not Washington’s first time recording to timeless reggae beats. His 1996 breakthrough album, Brother to Brother, was driven by rhythms from Studio One, Treasure Isle’s arch-rival during the 1960s.