WHILE serving in the United States Air Force, Linval Thomas never lost interest in his first love — music. After 22 years in the military, he reignited the budding career he left behind and recently released his debut album.

Now in his 50s, Thomas lives in Belleville, Illinois, and goes by the moniker Ashaka. He says his album, Time, has received encouraging response in the US Midwest border region of Illinois/Missouri.

Time contains Ooh, Ooh Girl; Save Darfur and the title track. According to Ashaka, independent radio has warmed to the songs.

“They have been getting airplay in the Belleville, Illinois/St Louis, Missouri area on 88.1 FM Radio. I plan to aggressively promote and market these songs this year,” he said.

Ashaka is currently shopping for a deal in the US for Time, which is distributed in Europe by Stringbean International Records, a Londonbased independent company.

The album, which also includes the songs Conflict and Lord, I’m Thankful, was completed in December, 15 years after Linval Thomas left the Air Force at the rank of master sergeant.

He spent 22 years in the US military, but the Fletcher’s Landborn Thomas’s greatest desire was to be a recording artiste. He said he recorded his first song, Bachelor Boy, as a teenager for producer Cecil ‘Prince Buster’ Campbell.

He immigrated to the US in 1972 and joined the Air Force five years later, putting ambitions of an entertainment career on hold. Shortly after leaving the service, Thomas resumed singing, recording the self-produced song Unite.

That was followed by the ballad Ooh, Ooh Girl and Save Darfur, a heartfelt song about the troubled southern African region. Time completed Ashaka’s musical return. He plans to release Ooh, Ooh Girl and Time in Jamaica this year.