Courtney John, aka Yogi. - File

Tennesia Malcolm, Gleaner Writer

Seven years ago Jamaicans went crazy for singer Yogi's remake of the Paul Davis classic, I Go Crazy, which was accompanied by a refreshing video.

Last year, he re-entered our consciousness with yet another eye-catching video; this time featuring an emerging talent in singer Jovi Rockwell. The face and look were the same, but one thing was unfamiliar - the name Courtney John.

"Yogi had become synonymous with the production side of the business ... The producer had gotten a bit bigger than the artiste," he told The Gleaner.

In fact, for 12 years, Yogi the artiste had struggled with a produce ego, one that came into being by 'default'.

STARTED PRODUCING

"I started producing to get my creative views out there ... when yuh trying to get with the more established producers out there and them not really listening to what yuh doing. I didn't want to stay outside a studio gate for 10 years," John explains.

This unexpected role as producer resulted in him churning out hits for local (Mr. Vegas) and foreign acts (Nelly Furtado) alike, at all times threatening an eclipse. But the passion for recording remained. So, in a move to 'revamp' himself as a serious artiste, John shed the Yogi moniker in favour of his given name.

To reintroduce himself to fans, Courtney John is set to release Unselfish, which features the duet with Rockwell, along with 13 other 'contemporary lover's rock' tracks. Included among them is the recent single, Sometimes, which speaks to the too familiar issue of fatherless girls who end up in dysfunctional relationships.

"The video is out on a lot of the major video channels, and I'm getting a good buzz," John claims. With the album's release at the end of May, the artiste hopes to carve his own niche in a musical landscape which he believes is receptive to any good song, regardless of genre.

"The listeners of our music are a lot more intelligent than we think they are ... People will take you once you come with a song weh dem waan hear, whether it be dancehall, soca ... " Against this background, he questions whether local artistes are aware of the prerequisites to staying power in a music business which he deems depleted.

"There is nothing going on in this business now," he said. "Eighty per cent of our artistes nowadays put out rubbish, and nobody wants to talk about it."

John, however, has no reservations and chides those he says help in propagating music which fails to reflect life. "The music does not reflect any sort of living ... whether it be poor, rich, whatever. People are just not connecting."

Despite his tirade, John identifies new acts Tessanne Chin and Alaine as saving graces. He also hails dancehall mainstay Buju Banton, whose monster 2006 hit, Driver A, sits on the old 'Taxi' rhythm.

As Banton's hit reintroduced Sly and Robbie's creation to a generation of unfamiliar listeners, Courtney John expects that his album will re-educate younger Jamaicans on the virtues of lover's rock.