In Best Reggae Album Category For Third Time’s The Charm
“This is not your parent’s reggae…an avant-garde sonic montage that propels his exceptional vocal flow and lyrical complexities to greater heights….” – Rolling Stone
“a melodic rift between isolation and family, love and betrayal, light and darkness…sentient sounds sail over one drop dubwise beats…lyrics are alert, yet nothing is forceful, and Protoje’s vocals swiftly switch from crooning to old-school conscious rap flow, and sing-jaying.” – Grammy.com
“Transportive reggae album” – New York Times. T Magazine
Protoje, one of Jamaica’s key figures in today’s musical landscape, receives his second GRAMMY nomination in the Best Reggae Album category for Third Time’s The Charm, which was released Sept 23, 2022 (In.Digg.Nation Collective/RCA Records).
Third Time’s The Charm concludes his trilogy of albums associated with time. It follows In Search of Lost Time (2020), released in partnership with Protoje’s label In.Digg.Nation Collective, Six Course and RCA Records, and his previous GRAMMY nominated A Matter of Time (2018) via In.Digg.Nation Collective / Overstand Entertainment, licensed to Mr Bongo Worldwide / Easy Star Records.
“It means a lot to get the second nomination because it really validates the first one I received for A Matter Of Time. I felt more relief than excitement to be honest because I knew it wasn’t guaranteed,” Protoje says about this prestigious recognition.
“This album [Third Time’s The Charm], like its predecessor [In Search of Lost Time], is an exploration of the new sounds that are possible in modern reggae music. I feel the production and lyrics are quite unique in its presentation and it sets the stage for this decade,” he adds.
Protoje’s journey as a man, a father, and as an entrepreneur in the music industry is crystalized on Third Time’s The Charm. Recorded primarily at Protoje’s studio The Habitat, located in the hills of Kingston, Jamaica, the tight-knit 10-track set features an array of the island’s musical visionaries including featured vocalists like Samory I, Lila Iké and Jesse Royal, and producers like Iotosh, Ziah .Push and Zion I Kings (which consists of Laurent “Tippy I” Alfred, Romaine “Teflonzincfence” Arnett and David “JAH David” Goldfine). He also enlisted the soulful British singer Jorja Smith on “Ten Cane Row.”
Protoje carries a deep affinity and vast understanding of multiple genres: from ska, to lover’s rock to reggae, he intrinsically channels his native island’s rich musical stylings stretching over a half century. Studying his palette of influences, Protoje flexes songwriting versatility and beat construction. Over the course of Protoje’s six album discography, his penchant for sampling elements from music’s foundational artists, reimagines them for new audiences abound. 1990s era hip-hop drum cadences, brooding trap basslines, and soulful choruses on Third Time’s The Charm spiral into a colorful unconventional style of his own.
Last month, Protoje concluded his headlining Lost In Time Tour with Lila Iké and Jesse Royal spanning the United States and will plan on a homecoming show in Jamaica for 2023 in support of his GRAMMY-nominated album.
This year’s 65th-annual GRAMMY Awards will be held on February 5, 2023 in Los Angeles at The Crypto.com arena. Other nominees in the Best Reggae Album category include Kabaka Pyramid, Koffee, Sean Paul, and Shaggy. The winner will be announced during the GRAMMY Awards Premiere Ceremony®, prior to the telecast.
