By contrast, the self-produced "It Hot" is a gem, as is the swinging and tuneful "Boom Smilin'." The duo's cover of "Twist & Shout" is a fun novelty, while "War a Gwaan" brings a dreader perspective to bear - but is marred, again, by a mismatch between the key Pliers sings in and the key the musicians play in. The hit "Murder She Wrote," for example, is an obvious choice, yet it features some of Demus' most awkward toasting and Pliers' most off-key singing. The problem is that the material most likely to end up on such a collection isn't always the best they have to offer. But their albums are actually rather spotty, making a collection like this especially welcome. So one would expect their output to be a bit more consistent. Trouble and War (2003), Back Against the Wall (2005), and So Proud (2008) were issued on a variety of labels, while the duo continued to tour and perform at festivals.DJ Chaka Demus and singer Pliers are a real double threat: Both are highly gifted artists, one of them a better-than-average dancehall toaster and the other a sweet-voiced crooner with a cool, assured delivery, and they have managed to attract the attention of some of reggae's finest producers, most notably Sly Dunbar and Robbie Shakespeare. For Every Kinda Person, their third album, followed in 1996.Īfter an extended period away from the studio, the duo returned in 2001 with Help Them Lord, released on RAS. The duo's debut album, Tease Me, released in January 1994, included their first six singles and a new version of George Clinton's anthem "One Nation Under Groove." Their second album, She Don't Let Nobody, released in 1995, reached number four on the British album charts. "She Don't Let Nobody," a cover of a Curtis Mayfield tune, and "Twist and Shout," a remake of the Isley Brothers and Beatles hit, recorded with Jack Radics and Sly & Robbie's Taxi Gang, followed "Tease Me" into the British Top Five. Their next single, "Tease Me," remained in the British Top Ten for three months, reaching the number three slot, and sold more than 300,000 copies. "Any time I listened to him and listened to myself, I knew I could mesh with him."Īfter collaborating to record "Gal Wine" for producer Ossie Hibbert, "Brenda," for producer Ranking Joe, and "Rough This Year" for producer Blackbeard, Chaka Demus & Pliers had their first major hit, "Murder She Wrote," produced by Sly & Robbie, which Pliers had previously recorded as a soloist. "The man has a sweet melody voice, " he said.
![chaka demus and plias chaka demus and plias](https://2w6kxc22rrr9mabqt1mglgait6-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/chaka-demus-and-pliers.jpg)
In a 1998 interview, Demus recalled his initial reaction to hearing Pliers. Pliers, who worked with such producers as King Jammy, Winston Riley, King Tubby, Black Scorpio, and Coxsone Dodd, recorded such solo hits as "Snake in the Grass" and "Bam Bam," a hip-hop reworking of a Toots & the Maytals tune. His subsequent hits included "Everybody Loves Chaka," a duet with Yellowman, "Bring It to Me," a duet with deejay/vocalist Scottie, and "Everybody Loves Chaka" and "Chaka on the Move," which he recorded solo. Although he made his recording debut with the King Jammy-produced single "Increase Your Knowledge," his first hit came in 1986 when he recorded "One Scotch" as a duet with Admiral Bailey. Demus, who grew up in the Waterhouse district of Kingston, launched his career as a deejay for the Roots Majestic sound system.
![chaka demus and plias chaka demus and plias](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/bd1261_223361e09feb468e95ed18ed16bf367c~mv2.jpg)
R&B blandoids yet still tuff enough to raise gunshots and shouts of "Murder" back in the Kingston dancehalls.īoth Chaka Demus & Pliers had established successful solo careers prior to combining their efforts. According to reggae website Real Groove, Chaka Demus & Pliers are "sexy, soulful and poppy enough to be saleable to U.S. The first Jamaican act to place three consecutive singles in the Top Five of the British music charts, Chaka Demus & Pliers have continued to make their presence felt.
![chaka demus and plias chaka demus and plias](https://f4.bcbits.com/img/a2256936392_10.jpg)
Rough-voiced deejay Chaka Demus (born John Taylor in Kingston, Jamaica in August, 1963) and smooth-toned vocalist Pliers (born Everton Bonner in Rockhall Hills, Jamaica on April 4, 1963) have come together to create one of the most successful duos in the history of Jamaican music.