RASTA to the core, Moses I has unmovable faith in the movement he accepted as a youth in August Town, St Andrew. Most of the singer’s songs are still cultural but his latest single recalls an era when he was a “cha cha bwoy”.

I Could Make You Dance has an old-school funk feel, with rhythm guitar riffs and a bass line reminiscent of the 1970s. The singer told the Jamaica Observer that he wanted to do something different after years of releasing roots songs.

“Dis is more of a club ting. With music there’s no boundaries, an’ as a writer an’ creator I never limit myself,” said Moses I, who produced the track for his Livon Music company.

The rhythm for I Could Make You Dance was created five years ago. Moses I (real name Anthony Singh) wanted a beat that recaptured the fun days of his youth, an era when Michael Jackson ruled the world with songs like Billie Jean from the humongously successful Thriller album.

“Wi used to party hard. Dem days deh Michael Jackson a run di place suh wi used to hold a vibe,” said the South Florida-based artiste.

I Could Make You Dance is the follow-up to Déjà Vu, a roots ballad Moses I dedicated to the Rasta empress.

Inspired by the teachings of Rasta elders in August Town, Moses I began recording in the late 1980s. Although his introduction to music was with Rastafarian producers Augustus Pablo and Philip “Fattis” Burrell, his first released song was for Stone Love Movements, a hard-core dancehall label.

In 1998 he had a big hit with Crazy Look, alongside Capleton with whom he toured Europe.

Reparation, another of his self-produced songs, was released in 2021.

— Howard Campbell