Today, veteran reggae group Easy Star All-Stars return with the announcement of their newest album, a re-imagined rendition of David Bowie’s classic ‘The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and The Spiders from Mars’, aptly entitled ‘Ziggy Stardub’, out April 21 via Easy Star Records. The album features guest performances by Macy Gray, Steel Pulse, Fishbone, Alex Lifeson (Rush), Vernon Reid (Living Colour), The Skints, Mortimer, The Expanders, Samory I, Naomi Cowan, and many others.
Alongside the news, the group also shared the first taste of the project with “Starman,” featuring vocals by the Grammy-nominated reggae star Maxi Priest. First shared by Rolling Stone, the All-Stars and Maxi Priest put their signature twist on the beloved hit, making use of reggae drum patterns and vocal styles as they reforge Bowie’s work into a fresh piece of danceable reggae fusion. Michael Goldwasser, producer, arranger, and multi-instrumentalist of the band says,
“We chose ‘Starman’ as first single for this project because it’s the song most pivotal to the loose storyline of the original album, and it’s become the best-known track on the record as well. We utilized the flying cymbal drum pattern, first popularized by producer Bunny Lee and drummer Santa Davis in the mid ‘70s, to give even more lift and make the song that much more danceable. Maxi Priest’s vocals and the live strings helped us anchor key melodic elements of the original, while we balanced some heavy dub effects throughout with a pop sensibility.”
