Mel Cooke, Freelance Writer
Cheryl 'Chetenge' Clarke. - CONTRIBUTED
IT IS significant that the last song on Cheryl 'Chetenge' Clarke's debut album, Borders, is not named. The 17th song is simply labelled Bonus (Festival Song).
It is not that the woman who won the then Festival Song Competition with Born Inna JA in 1999 wants to put the days of bandana material and fervent patriotism behind her. Far from it. As she puts it, "me no really want to get tagged as a festival singer."
CROSSING BORDERS
In fact, she seems to want no tags at all, at least for music that she has put her all into, and fashioned to cross physical as well as mental borders. "We have to encourage brotherhood. All of us come here by the breath of life. What affect you affect me ... We have to broaden our scope. The world is so small because of globalisation," Chetenge said.
And when she says "me just want to show people what I have learnt along life's journey," she is not being pretentious, for it has been a long road from being born in Mount Salem, Montego Bay, to her current base in Negril, Westmoreland, church choirs, cabaret and 20 years as a professional singer in between.
MEANING OF CHETENGE
The name 'Chetenge' came to her in a dream, one in which she tripped and fell in darkness, only to ascend into a garden filled with the sound of drumming and chants of 'chetenge', which means 'mother of the village'.
It is a role she takes seriously. "Me learn from Bob Marley that you can use the music to uplift people," she said.
"One time I hear sex sells, but as the mother of the village we have to set an example," she said. Still, she does not condemn the women who have taken the route less clothed. "Our true power lies in our diversity and difference as a people. Anything that them do and it work, them do it. You have to set an example and hope that later as they grow they learn that greater self is greater wealth ... You have to give them room to grow ... You can't blame them, the industry mandate a thing," she said.
"Sometime yu blame basket, a bad cotta," Chetenge philosophised.
There was somewhat of a bad cotta, or at least bad mixes, when she carried the album, on which she shares writing, arrangement and production duties mostly with Paul Palmer, to Florida for mastering. After being started in 2003, late last year she thought she was at the end of that particular journey, but was told that she had to mix them again. "The people said I had great songs but it should be mixed again," Chetenge said, adding that she was told that "these songs are going to be around a long time."
Encouraged even in disappointment, Chetenge did over the vocals for 11 of the songs.
ENCOURAGE THE PEOPLE
The first two singles from Borders are Over Fifty and Caribbean Woman. She says the former, going out to older persons, is because "we want to encourage the people in their decision making to go forward, to be instrumental in community development. As for Caribbean Woman, it encourages women to stand by their men."
And Chetenge is standing by her music, the plans for a second album already in the works. In fact, along with Palmer, she has been writing songs for the album, although she says that how things change chances are some of them won't make it when the time comes. Still, there is a song which she particularly likes, Let My People Know, which is the very tentative title.
But there are Borders to cross first and promotions for the debut album will begin officially in about two weeks, with wide distribution expected in June.
And though she won't be confined, she knows the value of her victory seven years ago. "I hope the foundation from festival will give me some leverage," Chetenge said.
