There's a new reggae star making waves in the Caribbean. On a recent trip to Britain MARKY RAGE talked to Karl Allison.

Marky Rage

Marky Rage is a gospel musician with a serious attitude. It's not only his brilliant new pop/reggae album 'Echoes' that's getting this young man noticed way beyond his native island of Barbados, but also the undiluted passion and righteous anger that seems to fuel his every move.

Says Marky, "I've always been the kind of person that will not resist the opportunity to speak out. I've always found it necessary to do the stuff that's challenging to people and I want people to know that there's a lot of things that I'm outraged about."

So outraged in fact that he stopped using his real name Mark Sandiford when he left his group Promise in 1991 to pursue a solo career. It was then that the Rage kicked in. "I've built my name and my image around that," admits Marky. "If something is worth being angry about, I think it's worth being spoken about, whether it's hypocrisy in Christian circles or commenting on social or racial issues. I'm also outraged by the image that the Christian male seems to have, which is that of a wimp! There seems to be a downplaying of the contribution that men can make and I want to share from the perspective of renewing confidence in the male."

Marky has skilfully woven such intensity into the album. It features six slick slices of pop/reggae and two more folk orientated pieces. Across it all, Marky manages to deliver his rage with a laid back, almost lazy vocal style. The album has gone out on his own Hammerstone label, but has been distributed by Rainbow WIRL in about 22 countries throughout the Caribbean.

"'Echoes' is about the positive change that exists only through the echoing of that still, small voice which for me is the voice of a colourless God," affirms Marky. And yet he insists, "I don't want to call my album gospel. I want to call it alternative because that will be my market. I don't want it to be limited to gospel. Yes, I will share biblical truths in my music, but some of it will be my heartfelt opinion."

The standout track on the album is "A Christian, A Don" and repeated playing on the Cross Rhythms radio show has already introduced Marky to a British audience. "It's beautiful to know that people here are getting into my music," enthuses Marky. "'A Christian, A Don' tries to capture the whole idea of a Christian appearing to be someone you can push around. But I believe in having proper moral values and I think that's very happening, very now. It means that you do not allow yourself to be pushed around and it means that you always have a sense of what is right and what is wrong. I'm reminding people that I know what is happening in terms of having a biblical perspective. I'm big enough to talk about it and I'm big enough to live it. I'm a Christian AND a don. I'm in control."

Although Marky may be a new name to us in the UK, he's been around long enough to be both credited and blamed for confronting his homeland's somewhat conservative approach to gospel music. But by now, you'll have gathered that a man who once enigmatically declared that, "There's an ancient Zulu trapped in my body," is unlikely to contemplate compromise. There's words to be said and musical forms to be embraced and so Marky just gets on with it. And 'Echoes' is probably good enough to win most of the arguments anyway.

Marky is aware of his detractors, but is rather philosophical about controversy. "I think you'll run into conflict with it anywhere. As long as you're offering something that's new and different there will be people who won't want that immediate change and who'll question your motives and methods. Actually, I think that's healthy for you because it keeps you on track. It helps you to always be checking yourself. Check yourself before you wreck yourself"

Last year, Marky visited the US to attend Gospel Music '93, the six-day seminar of the Gospel Music Association Of America. It was certainly an eye-opener for him. "Travelling to the US to promote my album was a major indication of how much we seem to be missing locally, in terms of not only our acceptance of our indigenous music, but also the kind of hardcore marketing necessary to be recognised on an international level."

And despite the overwhelmingly positive response to his music in the States, Marky has mixed feelings about it all. "The reggae music is a novelty. They were just blown away by the whole Caribbean influence in the music. The negative to that is that there really is nobody else doing what I'm doing at the moment, so I'm carrying the fight all by myself. I'm like an experiment! While the response I've been getting is fantastic, I still think that people are waiting to see if it will work or not."

But this is his first trip to England. "I just popped over for a while to see what the atmosphere is like musically. And to get to read and listen to Cross Rhythms too! And, hopefully, now I'm over here in England I'll be able to see what possibilities there are for me to get on the road and start slammin' hard! I just don't know as yet how many Christian reggae artists there are out there (check CR20 Marky!) but if there are any..."

As long as that Zulu stays where he is, Marky Rage looks like breaking through a few more barriers yet. And whilst large portions of Christendom are still trying to cope with the all out attack that is 'Echoes', Marky has already moved on. "Right now I'm working on some new stuff, some awesome fusions of reggae and funk. It tends to be much more biting than the 'Echoes' album."

You have been warned.