What happens when you team up Nijah “Cold Sweat” St. Catherine, the man some are saying has the best voice in world reggae, with Sylvester “Itoobaa” Peter, the man who gave us Freedom, the best reggae album produced in St. Lucia and the greatest musical endeavor to come out of Vieux Fort, and then add a retired Wall Street software engineer turn drummer called Benson Evans, and two young guitarists who go by the names of Marlon “Bad Kali” Florent and Darrel “Frenchie” Augier.
Simply put, what happens is 4th World, the best reggae band on island, and according to some the best band on island, period. But how did 4th World get started or rather how did Cold Sweat, Itoobaa and the rest of the guys get together to equate to 4th World.
Well, according to Dr. Reynolds, managing director of Jako Productions, he got tired of St. Lucian talent who despite any nurturing emerging as if from nowhere as good or better than what obtains elsewhere, but because of no institutional support the talent wanders in the wilderness of lack of opportunity and nothing much becomes of it.
So with the emergence of Cold Sweat and his distinctive and remarkable voice, Dr. Reynolds decided to do something about it and help lay down a path to take the artist international. And so was the seed planted that has germinated and blossomed into 4th World.
Now it would be stretching the truth to say that Dr. Reynolds discovered Cold Sweat, for the artist had been doing his thing for quite sometime. But always Cold Sweat had been part of a crew with the light not shining directly on him. First, five years under Leny Deneb, as part of PCL Crew, and then three years under Andrew “Yardie” Haynes as part of Hotness International. Yet, Dr. Reynolds said that since back in the late 90’s it had always been clear to him that Cold Sweat was one of St. Lucia’s great talents, and one of three of Vieux Fort’s most promising reggae/dancehall artists, the other two being Alleyn “Kyatt” Collymore and Nutty Ranks. So according to Dr. Reynolds, he saw Jako Productions’ role as focusing blinding attention on Cold Sweat the artist, and helping to lay down a path to take him international.
However, all this sounded good, but the task of taking Cold Sweat international faced the classic problem all solo artists face. While pursuing the dream of making it big, how does the artist support himself?
At the time Cold Sweat had been fooling around with the guitar and keyboard, so Dr. Reynolds reckoned that surely with his fantastic voice, accompanied with his keyboard or guitar, it would be a no brainer getting him hotel, restaurant and bar gigs. For with such a voice, who would care how proficient he was on keyboard?
Fooling around was indeed an apt description of what Cold Sweat was doing with the guitar and keyboard, because he had taken playing by ear to another level. The artist accompanied his singing with these instruments without a clue to the notes he was playing or the chords he was holding. All what he knew was that it sounded right. And unmindful of notes and chords, the
guys on the block in the Mange in Vieux Fort knew they were in for a treat whenever they saw Cold Sweat approaching with his guitar, thus lending credence to the notion that the ghetto has the best offerings, and it is all for free.
So with some encouragement from Jako Productions, Cold Sweat signed up for keyboard lessons, and soon he was getting gigs at restaurants and bars in Vieux Fort. But there was a problem. Cold Sweat didn’t like the solo vibe. As he has explained, he has always seen himself as part of a tribe. So the artiste went in search of his tribe.
First he sought Itoobaa and the solo act became a duet. Interestingly, when Itoobaa was recording his history making Freedom album nearly a decade before, it was then eighteen year old Cold Sweat he used for backing vocals.
Next Cold Sweat brought in Darrel “Frenchie” Augier as vocalist and rhythm guitarist. Frenchie also served as part-time bass man, replacing Itoobaa on bass when Itoobaa occasionally took on lead vocals.
Dr. Reynolds said that in Frenchie’s first appearance with the band, he was so timid and tentative that throughout the performance he kept his head to one side, hardly moving a muscle, and his guitar strum was so feathery one needed hearing aids to make it out. But before long Frenchie presented a whole different picture. His guitar strum would start with a high arm action and come down on the strings with precise authority, making it difficult to take your eyes off him. He sang about one-third of the bands repertoire in an impassioned, high pitched, wailing voice.
After the addition of Frenchie the band was in search of a drummer as replacement for the drum machine they were using. And in walked Benson Evans, son of Bruce Williams, affectionately known as Daddy Bruce, Vieux Fort’s politician and great humanitarian, after whom Bruceville is named.
A retired Wall Street software engineer, Benson was down in St. Luca for a few weeks on business. Although for Benson music and drumming was a hobby, he always welcomed the opportunity to gig with a band. In fact, Benson likes to drum so much that one gets the impression that he would be willing to pay a band to have him as their drummer. So upon Benson’s arrival, he was pleasantly surprised that 4th World was there as if waiting for his coming.
Up till the arrival of Benson, 4th World didn’t think of itself as a reggae band or any other genre of music for that matter, as far as the guys were concerned they were just there doing their thing. So it was Benson who, accessing what the guys were doing, pronounce them a reggae band, and encouraged them to brand themselves as such.
With a drummer in hand, a brand in place, and the goal of recording and taking Cold Sweat international, Dr. Reynolds went in search of Adam Gillmor, long recognized as St. Lucia’s best sound engineer, to better position the band and Cold Sweat to go international. It was natural for Dr. Reynolds to seek out Adam Gillmor because, besides his vast international experience and expertise in sound engineering, and his experience playing for and managing bands, it was with Adam as sound engineer that Jako Productions made history with the release of Freedom by Itoobaa. Adam helped refined the band’s act by working with them on their harmonies, their positioning on stage and on choosing the right keys for certain songs.
Next to sweeten things up a bit and to refine the band’s sound even further, Marlon “Bad Kali” Florent of Augier, Vieux Fort, was brought in. Although Marlon performed with 4th World before he had a chance to practice with the band, he was an instant hit. The way he made the guitar cry forced some to immediately compare him to Vieux Fort’s Monty Maxwell, long recognized as one of the best guitarists St. Lucia has produced.
At this point Cold Sweat’s tribe was complete and 4th World was a hit, because wherever the band performed audiences couldn’t get enough of them. Up North, at places like the Lime, Happy Day Bar, the Rodney Bay Marina, and Happycock Bar, besides begging for the band to keep on playing, some in the audience literally grabbed on to band members to prevent them from getting off stage, others accused the band of being selfish for not playing well into the early morning hours. Sometimes to forestall mob action, proprietors were compelled to contract an additional set.
At both the 2010 National Telethon Concert and the Fond Gens Libre leg of Soufriere Creole Jazz 2010, 4th World held the audiences at awe, forcing some to describe the performances as out of this world experiences. And at the 2010 Montreal International Reggae Festival, 4th World held the crowd in such a trance that many stayed standing in the rain, soaking in the music.
In 2011 4th World achieved another milestone when they performed at Pigeon Island at the Grande Finale of the St. Lucia Jazz Festival, on the side stage, between the main stage acts. 4th World had the audience so enthralled that many in the audience reluctantly moved to the main stage area when 4th World’s sessions ended to make way for the main stage acts, some complaining that it should have been 4th World on the main stage.
4th World’s 2011 St. Lucia Jazz Festival engagement was accompanied with yet another milestone, the release of their debut album, Can’t Stop Us, winner of the coveted St. Lucia National Arts Award for Album of the year.
Can’t Stop Us has been described as an “authentic brand of reggae music that takes you to the world of Steel Pulse, Third World, Peter Tosh and Bob Marley. But it is reggae music with a difference. It is fresh. It is a new sound. The arrangements are startlingly different to what has come before and so catches one by surprise. It is edgy music bursting with energy. It is music infused with the excitement of youth yet seemingly informed by history and the wisdom of age.”
However, as mentioned above, band members didn’t set out to be a reggae band per se, much less to craft a new reggae sound. It was Benson Evans, the retired Wall Street software engineer, who came up with the reggae concept. Nonetheless, Benson was onto something, he must have realized that reggae was what sat best with how the fellas lived their lives and what was inside of them. Notwithstanding, 4th World refuses to pigeonholed themselves to one genre, they interpret their sound as simply the spontaneous blending of their creative energies. This openness towards music may help explain not only the power and originality of their music but also the multifariousness of it.
Indeed, 4th World’s music represents a special blend of reggae obtained from fusing roots reggae with dancehall, hi-hop, R&B, Blues and St. Lucia and Caribbean indigenous music. Therefore, although Can’t Stop Us, the album, remained true to the music of the likes of Bob Marley and Peter Tosh, there are songs veering towards dancehall and hip-hop, and others serving heavy doses of R&B, blues, jazz, rock, and traditional St. Lucian music.
Furthermore, Cold Sweat, the creative energy behind 4th World, has admitted that dancehall, not reggae, was his first love, and it was much later, when he realized he had a talent for singing, that he got into reggae. Well, based on Cold Sweat’s compositions on Can’t Stop Us, the influence of dancehall, hip-hop and even R&B and funk are never far away. Not only are his songs on the album among the most up tempo, but those such as Can’t Stop Us, Power to Overcome, Persistence, Runaway, and Reggae Party come with equal blends of reggae and one or more of these other genres.
Genre aside, the 4th World sound is like none other. It cannot be manufactured, for it is music coming from a certain Caribbean island, from a certain town on that island, and from a certain locale or community of that town. The 4th World sound arose from the interplay of a unique set of environmental and cultural circumstances and artistic sensibilities. It couldn’t have been designed or planned. It was a natural, dialectic process that was several years in the making. Therefore 4th World and its music represents a net and unique addition to world music and culture.
4th World’s authenticity also derives from the fact that the music it creates and performs best describes and characterizes the lifestyle of its members. When 4th World performs, what the audience is getting isn’t just a group of guys coming together to play reggae. The audience is getting much more than that. They are getting a group of guys living the life of the music they are playing, they are seeing passion, artistic integrity, they are getting the real thing; not a group of guys playing music at odds with their lifestyle, or with their beliefs. Not a group of guys simply playing music to make a living. Music is their life.
May be it is this passion and authenticity that came through in their music and performance at the inaugural 2017 St. Lucia Roots and Soul Festival, where they performed alongside Christopher Martin, that enabled the 4th World to hit a home run with the audience, forcing some to say that it should have been 4th World and not Christopher Martin to headline the show, and also compelling a blogger to write: “Saint Lucian reggae band 4th World, gave a performance that showed their growth as a band, how they can deliver and ability to keep a crowd entertained throughout their performance. Capturing the hearts of many in attendance, the band gave a performance that could rival international reggae bands and showed their evolution as a band. 4th World came out to perform, execute a great reggae set, entertain fans and those in attendance, as well as to shine on the main stage, for the Roots & Soul Festival. If you missed 4th World’s performance, then you missed out on a really good performance.”
In the past several years 4th World has gone through some changes. In 2010 its drummer, Benson Evans, switched his attention to establishing a software company, but not before he had handed over the baton to a younger, exciting drummer, Al Prescott, aka Papa Bear. In 2012/2013, Darrel “Frenchie” Augier, 4th World’s rhythm guitarist and one of three lead singers, took a sabbatical from the band to pursue graduate studies in France. Frenchie has since been replaced, not with a guitarist, but with, Lennon Maximin, a keyboardist, hailing from Bellevue, Vieux Fort. Sylvester “Itoobaa” Peter, the veteran reggae artist and bass man, partially retired from the band to focus on a solo career. He was replaced with Gilian “Imeg” Poleon, from Bellevue, who some have accused of making the bass talk.
However, as the blogger hinted, despite these changes, inspired by Nijah “Coldsweat” St. Catherine, 4th World’s creative energy and now sole lead singer, the band has continued to grow, and is now in studios putting the finishing touches on its sophomore album. Critics and fans alike were amazed at the freshness, authenticity and originality of Can’t Stop Us, but with its sophomore album, 4th World promises to push the edge of the reggae envelope even further.
We know how 4th World became branded as a reggae band, but how did the band get its name. Well, according to Itoobaa, long before he teamed up with Cold Sweat to start what would become 4th World, in impromptu fashion they (Itoobaa, Cold Sweat, Alleyne “Kyatt” Collymore, etc.) would be on the block playing guitar and singing, sometimes composing songs on the fly. In fact, many of the songs Itoobaa and Cold Sweat have since recorded where first tested in the crucible of those spontaneous gatherings. During one of those sessions, a guy from the neighborhood walked up to them and said, “You all are the 4th World, man!” At the time Itoobaa and Cold Sweat thought nothing of it because there were no plans for a band, but after the band got started, when Dr. Reynolds prompted them for a name, they responded with what was at the top of their minds—4th World. Shortly after Benson joined the band, they brainstormed for a different name, but none of the names they came up with seemed to fit the band as well as 4th World. So the name stuck.
