The 10 time Grammy nominated band, Third World, has released a total of 22 albums as well as solo projects from Lead Singer Williams “Bunny Rugs” Clarke and Guitarist Stephen “Cat” Coore. With international hit singles such as the cover version of Gamble & Huff’s, “Now That We’ve Found Love,” “96 Degrees in the Shade,” “Cool Meditation,” “Dancing on the Floor,” “Try Jah Love,” written by Stevie Wonder “Sense of Purpose,” “Forbidden Love,” “Reggae Ambassador,” “Committed,” and “Reggae Party,” the Reggae Ambassadors continue to build on that impressive list with their latest offering, Patriots.
On Wednesday, August 25, 2010, the band released their 23rd album which was made available to fans with a soft launch of their Online Digistore. Fans were able to download individual tracks or the entire album online. However due to the amount of traffic, visitors of the site experienced minor hiccups which was eventually resolved by web designers, Websignia. With problems solved, the album is now available to the public exclusively through the band’s online store at www.thirdworlddigistore.com.
Prior to the release of the album, the band released singles, “Spirit Lives,” a dedication to the people of Haiti and “By My Side” featuring Tessanne Chin. The video for By My Side, which was directed by Adrian Allen, features Robert Townsend’s popular online series “Diary of a Single Mom” starring Monica Calhoun, Valery Ortiz, Janice Lynde, Richard Roundtree, Billy Dee Williams and Leon, was also released.
The album features collaborations with Toots Hibbert, Marcia Griffiths, Gregory Isaacs, Sly Dumbar, Robbie Shakespeare, Dean Frazier, Inner Circle, Mykal Rose, Junior Reid, Capleton, Stephen & Damian Marley, Tarrus Riley and Tessanne Chin. As per Richard Daley, the group’s base guitarist, “We collectively chose the title of the album because the songs are a celebration of what we have loved doing for over three decades. Additionally, we were able to work with some of our favorite Jamaican musical icons and reggae ambassadors. The album is something we enjoyed making and we hope that our fans will be receptive.”
Patriots, executive produced by Third World Band, VicRae Inc. and associate producer Dean Pond of Rymshot Productions, will be released under Third World Music Group Inc. Manager Victor Lewis remarks, “We are happy with the end product of the album and cannot wait to hear the feedback from fans. With this album, we did something unique, in that, we formed Third World Music Group Inc. and established the digital store in an attempt to create our own space to reach fans directly. I think it was an absolutely great idea to do so.”