WRIGHT. penned his songs while in prison

Jamaican singer-songwriter Abdel Wright is scheduled to release his debut album next month, the next step in his almost meteoric rise to stardom, which has been boosted by U2's Bono who has described Wright as "the most important Jamaican artiste since (Bob) Marley".

Bono's endorsement headlines a Rolling Stone magazine story on Wright's set, which the influential magazine says carries the artiste's hope of completing his "climb from orphanages, homelessness and prison to music stardom".

BONO. calls Wright the most important J'can artiste since Marley

The story, posted Wednesday on the magazine's website, traced Wright's difficult life from the time he was taken from his mentally ill mother and raised in foster homes, to his incarceration for firearm possession, and his eventual association with Eurythmic Dave Stewart who, after hearing the music Wright wrote in prison, agreed to executive-produce the album.

"Much of the album, due August 16th on Stewart's Weapons of Mass Entertainment imprint (distributed through Interscope), was written during a five-year sentence for firearm possession," said the Rolling Stone article.
The track Quicksand from the album was released recently in America.

"It (the album) is going to be released in America and Canada. Tuff Gong is in charge of Caribbean distribution," an elated Wright, who has been signed to Interscope for the past two years, told Splash.

Wright has been busy performing overseas and recently returned home from a three-week tour of South America.

"I went South. Nashville loves my music," said the singer, who should be on the road again now doing some summer dates.

In November 2003, while still without a single recording to call his own, Wright performed at the famous House of Blues in Hollywood, California where he made a big impression.

In December of that same year, he was the only Jamaican entertainer billed to appear on the Nelson Mandela AIDS Awareness star-studded benefit concert in South Africa. That performance resulted from an invitation by Bono and Stewart.
According to Rolling Stone, Wright performed a number with Bono, U2 guitarist The Edge and Stewart.

"To perform before the biggest rock stars in the world, in front of 40,000 people - that ain't easy," Rolling Stone quoted Wright. "But after I did the song, I heard Bono jumping and screaming, 'Yeahhhh!' He was behind me all the way."

Added to his musical career, Wright is featured in an upcoming Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer film titled Into The Blue.

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