Acoustic Re-Mix of Misteree's “Just As I Am” Debuts on 2011 Dennis Brown Tribute to International Women of Reggae CD; Finishes 3rd as International Song of the Year; Rave Reviews Continue for Artist & Song

DBtribute.org's release of a n-ew Dennis Brown tribute CD, entitled "International Women of Reggae 2011", celebrating the women of reggae worldwide. includes "He Loves Me", a new acoustic mix of Capsicum Records' hit single, "Just As I Am" performed by Misteree, a 2011 nominee for the EME Best New Female Artist, among other highly respected international artists such as Chatta and Tequila. Proceeds from sales and downloads of the CD and its singles will be donated to purchase music and computer equipment for schools in Jamaica. 

                           "The men in reggae seem to get more exposure," explained Executive Producer Rochelle Barasch Waisome of the non-profit dbtribute.org. "We hope you will listen with an open ear and give credit to these gals for their extreme talent and excitement as writers, performers and producers."  Click here to preview the tracks:   http://vibedeck.com/db54thtributecd.   

                             

         

Meanwhile, rave reviews for the original version continue to pour in to the Hartford-based indie's mailbox, such as Christopher Levine, Author of "Eclectiblogs-Weekly Meanderings for Music Head Consumption", says "A mystery can be defined as an enigma, as someone or something who arouses curiosity. The aptly named reggae artist Misteree lives up to this definition. With apparent ease, she decorates island rhythms with such a quality voice and melodic presence that you will be curious to hear more. "Just As I Am" is a beautiful Lover's Rock single totally worth checking out. Looking for a new artist for your reggae library? Mystery solved."

                                      Chris Levine      

Just As I Am” was co-written by Capsicum’s founder and CEO Roger Meltzer, with Sal Anthony, Misteree and Osborne “Ifield” Joseph, and co-produced by Joseph and Meltzer.  The song was released on Capsicum’s inaugural compilation album, “Reggae-in-Fusion Album #1”.  "Misteree was clearly born to sing this song, and even collaborated on the final melody." said Meltzer.  "She’s performed the song live at concerts in the US and Jamaica, and was first featured on the Stampede Street Chart  centerfold picture as "Artist to Watch" in June of 2010, with “Just As I Am” featured as its "Hot New Single" in August 2010, the same month the song first appeared on Richie B.'s Hot 102-FM Jamaica Music Countdown.  

                                              

Misteree climbed the charts performing the song, which peaked at #2 on Stampede during the 31 weeks on that chart, and peaked at #5 on Richie B's Countdown during its 27 weeks on that chart.   The two charts are extremely influential beyond the shores of Jamaica and are frequently published on music websites on the internet.

                         

"Just As I Am” and other cuts from the album have been played on these Jamaican stations:

 -- Hot 102-FM with Richie B              -- Irie-FM with Big A and G.T. Taylor

-- Mello-FM with Barry G                   -- Linkz-FM with Deja Vu and Dadre- Anne

-- Zip-FM with Bambino                     -- FAME-FM with Inferno and Niko

-- BEST-FM with String                     -- Vybz-FM with Sir W-One and Franko

-- Roots 96.1-FM with Dudley Thompson and Isis

Earlier in February, Kingston DJ and sportscaster Dudley Thompson announced that Capsicum Records' perfect string of wins on Roots 96.1-FM's popular Saturday night "What's The Verdict?" audience call-in show went to 4-0 Saturday night (Feb. 5) with Misteree's "Just As I Am" another landslide winner.  The song subsequently won the show's February's Song of Month contest, making it eligible for online and local Song of the Year honors.

Previous victories from the Hartford, CT-based indie's inaugural Reggae-in-Fusion compilation album include Sal Anthony's "Exactly," Sledge's "Find Out Who Your Friends Are," and "Life's Too Short" by Mayyah Stuart.  In the U.S., “Just As I Am” remained at #1 for three straight weeks from Aug 30 - Sept 13 on 101.5-FM EnergyRadio’s live weekly Music Countdown in Hartford. Song position there is determined by audience text message votes as well as by listener requests.      

              

In December 2010, Capsicum Records LLC released the label’s first HD music video for "Just As I Am" by Misteree on the label's YouTube channel www.youtube.com/capsicumrecordsllc, as well as on Capsicum’s official website www.capsicumrecords.com, where you can also click on the link to iTunes or Amazon to purchase a download of the song. The video debuted on the Tempo international cable network the week of January 10, 2011.    

Shot entirely at the renowned Paul Robeson Theater Complex in Brooklyn, NY, the video was produced and directed by NuMedia’s Donovan Howard, and sponsored by Sunset Resorts Jamaica. The video depicts the contrast between the perfection demanded by fans and the media with the unconditional love the artist has found in her life despite the personal flaws she openly acknowledges in the song.  It premiered last week on HYPE-TV in Jamaica and will soon be shown on Tempo's international cable networks.

“Misteree has been so modest about the success of her record that I didn’t really know how she would handle the unforgiving glare of the lights and the camera and all those people fussing over her from head to toe,” said label CEO and Director of A&R Roger Meltzer, who co-wrote the video storyline with Howard. “I needn’t have worried. I had forgotten about her modeling background. She was calm and poised and ready for anything, from writing the script on the fly, to dozens of wardrobe changes, and keeping track of all the accessories. I was the nervous wreck. She’s the pro.”

Camille “Misteree” Tomlinson-Ismail was born in Jamaica’s Spanish Town, St. Catherine Parish and grew up in Paul Island, Westmoreland.  The lovely singer-songwriter acquired her love of reggae, R & B, and gospel music listening to her grandparents’ albums by Bob Marley, Peter Tosh, Dennis Brown, and others.  After singing her rendition of Caesar’s “Jesus Oh Jesus” at a concert in Luci, Westmoreland and receiving a standing ovation at the age of nine, “Misteree” knew she wanted to become a singer. She began singing in a youth choir which performed at venues throughout the island.

At 16 she migrated to the US and began modeling in Miami while singing in the church choir every Sunday.  After moving to Hartford, CT she entered the 2007 West Indian Idol competition at Weaver High School auditorium, taking 2nd place singing an original calypso tune, “Love de Caribbean”. But it was her voice people remembered - in one of the toughest towns for local artists to succeed, she captured their hearts with her intense performance and versatility.  Misteree has since gone on to open for legendary artists like Beres Hammond, Maxi Priest, Gregory Isaccs, Shabba Ranks, Frankie Paul, Tarrus Riley, Beenie Man, Sanchez, Capleton, Leroy Sybils, Macka Diamond, Dean Fraser, Duane Stephenson and others, though people still wonder where that big voice comes from in such a slender young woman.

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'The Independent Music Show' 29/10/2011

November 02, 2011 04:34 AM PDT
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    Renowned Kingston deejay Richie B (Richie Burgess), Founder and Chairman of Jamaica’s Excellence in Music and Entertainment (EME) Awards, collaborated with Alex Morrissey, CEO of Jamaicansmusic.com, to provide live streaming of the February 2011 EME's via www.Jamaicansmusic.com, where patrons purchased pay-per-view tickets. Morrissey said he was thrilled to give patrons the first live stream from one of the island's premier red-carpet entertainment events, noting that Jamaicansmusic.com is a strong Jamaican music brand that will continue to highlight and celebrate the myriad talent in the Jamaican music industry."It was a very special day for us because once again we were able to deliver the best entertainment content to the world. The EME has a deep sense of energy and creativity that is parallel to none - that energy and creativity represents what we are about," said Morrissey.