The highly anticipated festival album 2010 entitled True Jamaican Patriot, produced by the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission (JCDC) was officially launched yesterday during a live ceremony before industry officials, sponsors and the media at the Courtleigh Auditorium.

Speaking at the launch, Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture, Olivia Grange hailed the 2010 staging of the competition as one which will invoke a spirit of healing throughout the nation. She also pointed to its relevance under the government’s revitalised cultural development programme.

Grange also highlighted this year’s prize pot, describing it as the “richest yet”, with the 2010 winner taking home a one million dollar prize package, courtesy of Claro, and a brand new 2010 Nissan Tiida courtesy of Fidelity Motors Ltd. The Minister also thanked the other corporate sponsors — Vibes Party Wine, Excelsior, Ting, Capital and Credit Merchant Bank, the CHASE fund and the KSAC along with several media partners — for their commitment to cultural development.

Other high points announced by Grange included the first-ever staging of a Festival Song Race Day being organised in collaboration with Caymanas Track Limited on July 10.

The album, which boasts 10 full length track includes vocal performances by Nikki Dillon (Salome Poyser) with Di Land We Love; Marvillus (Dennard Morgan) with Welcome to Jamaica; popular comedian Winston ‘Bello’ Bell with Jamaican Deh Deh; Papa Whyte (Eric Whyte) with Zingy Zingy 2010; Pertol (Phyllbert Graham) with Island in the Sun; RockIrie (Augustus Francis) with Jamaica Nice; Kharuso (Delisser McFarlane) with My Jamaica; Deru (Cleveland Cathnot) with Nuh Weh Nuh Betta; Mojahrock (Jermaine Blake) with Reggae Music and duo Amique and Nazzle Man (Christopher Herlington and Oniel Bryan) with One Heart.

Ahead of the finals scheduled for Friday, July 16, the finalists will be featured on a series on road parties scheduled to kick off in Junction Square in St Elizabeth, followed by subsequent stagings at the Port Antonio Square in Portland and Water Square, Falmouth on June 26 and July 3 respectively.