Akila Barrett (aka Errol Barrett) singer, musician and songwriter, is the son of the late Carlton Barrett, drummer with the original Wailers band and nephew of Aston Family Man Barrett also of the Wailers.

Roots reggae artiste Akila Barrett has a growing following in Argentina

Music has been in Akila's blood since birth. Much of his knowledge of life and learning came from growing up surrounded by his father and uncle in the centre of the most famous creators of Jamaican Reggae music. With such an upbringing, it was clear from an early age that Akila was destined to be a musical force to be reckoned with.

He began his career in 1994 as drummer with Julian Marley's backing band, during a time when there was an upsurge of conscious Rasta artistes emerging out of the Dancehall culture. This uprising of consciousness brought Akila's own life to a turning point and he felt an urge to be part of that movement.

Through his love and fierce respect for making music with traditional live instruments, Akila had unknowingly been initiated into what has become his calling today as player of many instruments and creator of conscious reggae music.
In the past six years he has developed his multi-instrumental talents, songwriting and performing skills to great advantage, earning self-confidence as well as in-depth knowledge of the music business in the process. Akila spends a great deal of his time with his acoustic weapon strapped by his side, discovering his own unique voice and sense of style.

He soon began boxing a riddim on his guitar to assist him with singing and writing lyrically redeeming songs about personal views and recent life experiences. Akila's first release, Human Race got him considerable airplay and interviews on radio shows and music magazines throughout Jamaica, South Africa, Ghana, London and France. The single is distributed on his own label, One Drop Muzic and features an enticing electric guitar solo by Junior Marvin.

Finally, it was time for Akila Barrett to pour his lifetime experiences and talent into an album. To spearhead this potentially enlightening CD, Akila selected Tuff Gong Studios as the highly spirited training ground for him to expose the breadth of his talent and perfect the texture of his voice. At Tuff Gong, he gathered around him some of the best veteran musicians Jamaica has to offer, including the renowned Wailers Band, Earl China Smith, Leroy 'Horsemouth' Wallace, Desi Jones, Ibo Cooper, Dean Frazer and Glen Brownie.

The album features evocative and at times provocative conscious lyrics with an overall sound that rocks to the strong hypnotic roots/rock/reggae grooves, including elements of DUB, true to this genre of music.

The improvised guitar tactic of the title track Changing People works, well with Earl China Smiths wah-wah pedal used as a device to emphasise certain parts of the lyrics. Akila's uncle, Family Man, delivers his authentic touch on Babylon Is Burnin and Akila himself expands his creative flair by playing the rhythm guitar and the Kette drum on Mother Of Creation showcasing his talent and displaying the Rastafari consciousness of this young musical artiste.

Akila Barrett, singer, writer and bandleader, described as a custodian of vintage cultural reggae, is dedicated to making Roots reggae music. By drawing on his Rastafari faith at the forefront of his vision for mythical themes to create seeming interpretations of the reality he witnesses, he takes us on an entire circuit of his personal being composing songs that sound not only fresh but startling.

On his self-produced debut album Changing People, Akila Barrett emerges to display a talent that continues the tradition set by his distinguished family and the world-famous musicians they played with.

Akila's recent musical and promotional achievements have included opening for UB40 and Matisyahu at the Argentina Summer Fest, on March 17 this year, which gave him international fame in Argentina. He also performed at Reggae Punkie Party as the main act that closed the festival concert January 2007 in Cordoba, Argentina and did three concerts in Latin America as a solo artiste in 2006-2007.

He has also been the subject of interviews by several leading media, including MTV Thailand BBC Radio News and Rolling Stone magazine.

He has also performed as a singer with the Wailers Band during their 2006 US tour, including their appearance at the House Of Blues, Chicago, and many universities. His song Babylon Is Burning was licensed by ABC NETWORK TV for a television series called Jake In Progress which was aired in March 2006.

In 2003 Akila Barrett was webcast live on the Internet when he performed a vibrant treat for media and guests at the International Reggae Day Festival held at the Bob Marley Museum. Akila was also interviewed by the legendary Gilberto Gil, now minister of culture in Brazil, for a film documentary called Kaya n' gan daya, the most famous Brazilian documentary about reggae music filmed in Jamaica in 2002. He is now working on his 2nd CD, Universal Sounds, which he says will have different genres of music including roots reggae, r&b, country, blues, pop and rock.

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