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August 24- August 31,2003 |
Mikey & Roberto's Power
Toronto duo concoct a fresh new reggae sound with CD
By Kerry Doole
Originally Published: 2003-08-03
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Mikey Power
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It is a fascinating cross-cultural musical marriage. Mikey Power is a Jamaican-born and raised reggae singer/songwriter. Roberto Philipp is a multi-talented singer/songwriter, guitarist and producer who still feels a deep attachment to Italy, the birthplace of his parents.
Mikey hails from the poor rural parish of St. Mary, while Roberto's parents were displaced from their Italian root cities of Zara and Pola when they were occupied by Yugoslavia after World War II. The Philipps migrated to Toronto, while Power emigrated here in the 1980s.
Roberto and Mikey first met in 1986, when Power was working as a chef in a bistro Philipp frequented. They soon struck up a friendship that has blossomed into a very fertile creative partnership.
Their genuine camaraderie is obvious as they chat with Tandem at Umana Music, Philipp's cozy and well-equipped recording studio. This is where they created all the material on Let It Sing, Mikey Power's impressive new album.
"This is my destiny. I just know this was meant to happen," reflects Power in his typically philosophical manner. "This is right where we belong right now." "We really are like brothers," confirms Philipp.
It is Power's name on the album cover, but this is definitely a duo project. Mikey is the soulful singer, while Roberto played all the instrumentation as well as producing and mixing. They combine on writing all the material, and their strongly contrasting musical backgrounds helps account for the refreshing musical diversity of their sound.
Power's vocals and the familiar reggae beat are complemented by instrumentation that draws upon pop, rock, classical and blues elements. You don't often hear strings or classical-sounding guitar work on a reggae-rooted song, but this duo feel unconstrained by barriers or commercial motivations.
"You have to keep on doing the melody that comes to your mind," says Mikey. "Just because one guy is making a million dollars with his song, you don't follow that. Even if I don't get a penny, I am going to sing them. It is given to me to sing." To Rob, "it feels as though the songs are already out there and you're just the antenna."
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