FOR soul music veteran Jeffrey Osborne, coming to Jamaica is like coming home.

The artiste has visited and performed in Jamaica more times than he can remember, but he asserts that each trip brings with it its own special memories.

Osborne is set to make another trip to Jamaica this weekend, arriving in the island today for this weekend’s staging of the music festival Soul in the Sun in Montego Bay from Friday to Sunday.

“Jamaica is such a beautiful country with warm black people and I just love performing there. The people are so into great love songs and it’s always a pleasure performing for people who are into the music. Then there’s the food … jerk pork and chicken are my favourites,” he told Splash from his California home.

Osborne, along with Regina Belle, Howard Newett, Peabo Bryson and Freddie Jackson are the international acts set to take to the stage on Saturday, along with local singer Richie Stephens.

Speaking of the upcoming performance, he noted that it will be an incredible evening of performances.

“When you look at the line-up, we are going to have some show-stopping moments. I am just prepared to deliver the hits Jamaicans know and love.”

Osborne is rehearsing his track Shine On, a track he performs in no other country but Jamaica.

“There are some songs which take on a life of their own in different territories, and for Jamaica, it’s Shine On. I never perform that song on stage the United States or anywhere else. In The Bahamas, their song is Getting Better All The Time. It’s how radio determined what was popular back in the day,” he explained.

Osborne, the son of a jazz trumpet player, is not in the studio at this time. His last release, an album of jazz standards titled A Time To Love was released just over a year ago. However, his recording career has been thrown off by the passing of his long-time producer and musical director George Duke.

“With George’s passing, I have just taken the time to see where I go from here. We worked together for so many years that I need to find someone to work with who has that same quality. But right now, I am blessed as I work almost every weekend, performing somewhere in the US and all over the world. Last weekend, I was in Mississippi, this weekend it’s Jamaica, then its on to Charlotte North Carolina and then on to Chicago,” said Osborne.

Soul in the Sun opens on Friday with a performance by LUST, Johnny Gill, Silk, Dru Hill and Keith Sweat. The inaugural staging of the festival culminates with a the Seawind Beach Park on Sunday.