Dread & Alive, the critically acclaimed comic book and music compilation series, is known to stand for good over evil and its superhero, Drew McIntosh, is the protector of all living things. Accordingly, on the new music compilation dropping August 9, 2011, Dread & Alive’s The Lost Tapes Volume 7 features music dealing with issues of freedom and independence. Liberation songs including conscious roots, rock and dub from Perfect, Bushman, Fear Nuttin Band, Ken Bob, Dub Down, Irie Love and Alerta Kamarada, reflect powerful calls for freedom in a very special format linking art and music.

Ahead of its August 9th release, Dread & Alive’s The Lost Tapes Volume 7 is pleased to share the free sampler including “Hold On (Buju)”, an honest reflection from the artist Perfect. Irie Love’s “Freedom” and “Historias Del Pueblo” from Alerta Kamarada tell moving liberation stories from two seemingly disparate corners of the earth—the Pacific Ocean and Latin America—demonstrating the power of reggae music across cultures. And the gift of freedom is the lesson addressed by Fear Nuttin Band (“People Living Together” featuring Bushman), Ken Bob (“Shot Poor Johnny”) and Dub Down (“Flat Foot Hustling”).

Previous Dread & Alive’s The Lost Tapes releases have been called “new territory in the collusion of art and Jamaican music” (Mel Cooke, Jamaica Gleaner) and the comic book “series’ secret weapon” (David Dacks, Exclaim! Magazine). Dread & Alive’s The Lost Tapes Volume 7, follows in the footsteps of previous releases with a diverse mix of songs breaking new cultural ground from the island of Jamaica to the Hawaiian Islands and from North America to South. On songs sung in English and Spanish, the compilation pays homage to freedom fighters in Jamaica and around the world while recognizing the social power of the reggae art form, both musically and visually.