Black To I Roots, title song from the second album by Uprising Roots Band, was released on Monday.

Darren Hamilton, the seven-piece band’s manager, told the Jamaica Observer that song and a video are teasers for their long-awaited second album.

Drummer/vocalist Rashaun ‘Kush’ McAnuff, described their release as a “celebrative moment”.

According to McAnuff, “We have been working on a lot of projects, so to have this song and video released on an international platform, it will be a great plus for the band.”

Black To I Roots will be distributed by Chapter Two Records, a French independent company which also has journeyman singer/songwriters Clinton Fearon, Winston McAnuff and Kiddus I on its books.

Chapter Two Records is also promoting the Inna Di Yard tour of France with those artistes in early 2017.

McAnuff points to the benefits of backing by a reliable record company.

“The advantage of having the support of a label is great, because you can reach a worldwide audience easier. We didn’t release the new album because we didn’t have enough support,” he explained. “The first album we released independently but we didn’t have the support from the right company to reach its full potential.”

Skifiya, the band’s debut album, was released in 2011.

Bassist Ruel Ashburn, percussionist Junior Sutherland, guitarist Winston ‘Bo Pee’ Bowen, keyboardists Earl Fitzsimmons and Kimmi Gold and harmony singer Patrice Pinkney are also members of Uprising Roots Band which toured Europe in 2015.

— Howard Campbell