The Reggae Destiny of Raging Fyah: The Sound of Soul, Sunshine, and Positive Vibes

It’s the sound of the sun. Bright and uplifting. Brotherhood in a song, with the kind of melody that generates smiles.

The feel reggae had back in the 1970s when politics and a natural groove went hand in hand. That’s the music of Raging Fyah.

The five-piece band from Kingston, Jamaica, makes reggae that skanks and bounces with a new pop roots vibe on their two albums, Judgement Day and Destiny. This ‘Irie Vibe’ also comes alive in their performances all over Caribbean and around Europe, where they have a devoted tribe of fans.

“That ‘70s vibe is a complete natural for us,” says singer and guitarist Kumar Bent. “We all listened to a lot of music from that period. The Wailers, Third World, and the British reggae bands like Steel Pulse and Aswad. It’s a big influence.”

That music planted the seeds for Raging Fyah. The shoots began to emerge in 2002, when some of the members met at Edna Manley College of Visual & Performing Arts in Kingston; but the band itself didn’t take shape for another four years.

“That was when we really began rehearsing and writing,” explains bass player Delroy Hamilton. “We knew we’d hit on something when a friend who was listening said: ‘You’re like a raging fire.’  And that was it, we had our name.”

From there, they spent time honing their material. To them, every aspect of the music had to be right. And it all had to come from deep within, holding nothing back, all of them working together without ego.

“There’s no one person who writes the songs,” Bent says. “We all contribute. We’re a collective. Sometimes a piece can come out of a bassline or a drum lick. It has to have the vibe; if it does, then we work on it.”

And they’ve taken in the lessons from the masters about constructing good material. Sweet melodies that stick to the brain, hooks that won’t let go, and that roots reggae rhythm under everything. The cream on top is the positive, conscious lyrics.

“We try to show reality, but in a very positive way,’ notes Hamilton. “That hope of a better tomorrow is important to all of us. They’re messages to keep us all grounded, but to push ahead too. We’re optimistic and we want to communicate that to uplift people and make them feel better about the world.”

It’s that feeling that helps make the music so infectious, and it was already there when Raging Fyah started recording in 2008. But two more years passed until they decided they were ready to make an album.

“It took a while,” Hamilton admits, “...but we needed to make the transition from just playing to understanding how serious we all were about this. We were always passionate about our music, but finally we were ready to make that commitment and take on the sacrifices to do it properly.”

The result was Judgement Day, a neat slice of roots reggae, which impressed many with the quality of the songs, and set the band properly on the road. In addition to Jamaica and the other islands of the West Indies, they found a strong reception all across Europe; from Slovakia to Spain, with their mix of Kingston warmth and irresistible songs.

“That album was very rootsy,” Hamilton says.“There was plenty of drum and bass on it, but it was very spiritual, too.”

It was a true snapshot of Raging Fyah as they were in 2011 when it was released. A picture of a band that seemed to stand outside time, absolutely modern in ideas and content; but with a vintage vibe that beat at the core of everything they did.

 “We’re showing that people can do more than they’re expected to do,” Hamilton observes. “Myself, the band, we’re doing more than that and we’re showing it.”

Being on the road so much meant recording for their second album, Destiny, wherever they could. Some tracks were laid down in Poland during a stopover, others though, came from home turf. Like the lead cut, “Fight,” which was picked up by The Pier, - a US magazine, with its distinctive, ear-catching whistling introduction. Along with “Mankind” it was actually among the first songs the band ever recorded.

“We did those two in 2008,” Bent recalls, “but it had never been the right time to release them before this.”

Destiny shows how Raging Fyah has developed. Reggae is still the heartbeat of the sound, and the positivity of the lyrics remain as strong as ever. However, the track ‘First Love’ is threaded through with lush harmonies of soft soul; while ‘Feel Jah Love’ offers the buzz of pure pop music. ‘Dance With You’ drafts in the like-minded Kabaka Pyramid to bring a dancehall edge to the vocals.

It’s an ideal showcase for the band’s growing facets, and along with the reissued Judgement Day, perfectly timed to take advantage of their growing popularity in the U.S. Raging Fyah has played in America before, notably at the Sierra Nevada Reggae Festival in 2014; now a national tour is in the works for this Fall (2015).

“We’ve been getting better known in the U.S. over the years,” Bent says. “But with Destiny there’s definitely been more traffic with people in America downloading the disc, so it’s time.”

It’s time for the fire, no doubt about it.

It’s Destiny.