WHILE in a recording session with Robbie Shakespeare some years ago, singer Belinda Brady got some advice from the legendary bassist/producer that has stuck with her.

“I asked him if he was a reggae producer and he turned to me and said that he is a musician and creator of all music, not just reggae. Even though my foundation is in reggae, I feel the same way. I never understood that fully until he broke it down for me this way,” she said.

Brady shows her versatility on Dance With Me, a Spanish-flavoured song produced by Leroy Brown. It was released in November.

On it the Toronto-based artiste is accompanied by drummer Sly Dunbar, Shakespeare’s long-time musical collaborator; Canadian guitarist Steve Major; and Paul “Wrong Move” Crosdale is on keyboards and bass.

The Latin feel of Dance With Me is close to home for Brady who has toured as a backup vocalist for Shaggy, Julian Marley, and Denyse Plummer.

“The concept came about based on my Cuban-Jamaican background, which I presented to the team in Jamaica — Leroy Brown, Sly Dunbar, Rorey Baker and Karl Toppin. We all decided it was the right direction to take at this time,” she said.

Brady was born in Kingston, the daughter of Carl Brady, an original member of the Byron Lee and the Dragonaires band. In 1993 she migrated to Canada, where most of her songs have been recorded.

Dance With Me is her second song for 2022. The first was Rocket Blasta, a collaboration with Canadian artistes Lock Stock and Barrel and Nico See.

— Howard Campbell