Album Notes

Artist: The J.Derrickson Project Album: Listen Credits: Written, arranged, performed, & recorded by James Derrickson A year in the making, this second effort by The J.Derrickson Project (aka: James Derrickson) is a wide variety of head-bobbing, lyrically clever dance grooves. The title track, “Listen” is a powerful reggae flavored tune, addressing two issues that strongly impact teenagers today; teen pregnancy and gang violence. A touch of blues is added to the collection with a track entitled “Pawn Shop Blues”. Also featured is the song “You Turn Me On”. This was the first song ever written by Derrickson, originally recorded by one of his past bands, “PowerHouse” back in 1982. Driven by his funky bass lines, rhythmic guitar parts and soulful synth-horn riffs, Derrickson’s vocals are strong and to the point. His guitar solos are solid and aggressive. Solos by guest guitarists’ Terry McIntyre (“Listen”) and Remy Hansen (“This Night” & “Pawn Shop Blues”) are exceptionally tasteful. Singer Danica Rae’s distinctive vocal riffs are highlighted on “Listen”. Vocalist Missy Ajax effortlessly adds a feminine touch of class to the background vocals of numerous tracks on the CD. Derrickson says, about his latest project: “The exciting thing for me about this CD is that a lot of the ideas have been in my head for quite some time. Writers will tell you, when it comes to creating songs, until you put into words what you truly want to express....until you find the musical groove which brings those words to life....those ideas must go on the shelf, so-to-speak. If you force things, usually the end result is not what you originally envisioned. It feels really great to finally complete some of those thoughts, and share them with others”.