One of the songs that put The Isley Brothers on the map, This Old Heart of Mine, is a bonafide soul classic. Clement “Jabba” Gordon remembers rocking to it as a boy in Kingston, and was keen to cover it when he became a recording artiste.

He recently did the ballad as Heart Of Mine with dancehall legend Josey Wales.

Their version is produced by Gordon for his ND Production company.

“Josey liked the song when he heard it and he said, ‘Let’s do it!’ Working with Josey was one in a million,” Gordon told the Jamaica Observer.

The decision to recruit the “Colonel” was made after considering his track record as a solo artiste and working with other acts. Known for songs like Bobo Dread and Under Cover Lover, Josey Wales also has successful collaborations with Mr Vegas and Shaggy, with whom he revisited his 1987 hit Nah Lef Ya as
Sweet Jamaica.

Heart Of Mine was released in early February when the bespectacled Gordon was making the rounds on shows like the Dennis Brown Tribute at Edna Manley College of the Visual Arts.

“Di D Brown show was great with all di artistes dem. It also give people a chance to see what I can offer,” he said.

Gordon was reared on the classic sounds of Studio One and Treasure Isle, as well as Motown Records which produced This Old Heart of Mine.

He migrated to Canada in the 1970s, but has spent most of his time living in Detroit where he recorded sporadically.

In recent years, he has released several songs in Jamaica, including Granny, Problems and the patriotic Rule The World

— Howard Campbell