Spiritual: "Let every man be quick to hear and slow to speak, slow to anger, for the anger of man does not awaken the righteousness of Jah!"

Ja, we hadden Spiritual al aan het werk gehoord in 'Marathon', een ouder nummer dat hij opnieuw opnam voor Alborosie's 'Specialist presents Alborosie & Friends' album, maar we werden pas echt omver geblazen door de sound van zijn stem, die ergens het midden hield tussen die van Burning Spear en Joseph Hill van Culture, bij de release van zijn 'Awakening' album uit 2017 waarmee hij meteen ook de Jamaicaanse old-school roots nieuw leven inblies.

Dankzij Irie Vibes kregen we de man ook nog eenmalig live aan het werk te zien in 2018 en na dat optreden (zie video onderaan) waren we helemaal overtuigd. Ondergetekende heeft persoonlijk nog alles in het werk gesteld om hem opnieuw naar België te halen voor het jaarlijkse Unity indoor-festival in de Turnhoutse Warande, maar dat heeft dus niet mogen zijn.

Als ultiem eerbetoon een niet eerder gepubliceerd interview met Spiritual, afgenomen op Irie Vibes:

Spiritual, you didn't exactly have what we could describe as an easy childhood, growing up without being surrounded by a mother or a father… Spiritual: "Well, I didn't lose my parents in a car accident or something similar, but they just weren't in my life when I grew up. I always say my life started age three, as that was the age when I was placed in the care of a guardian, Mrs. Rebecca Johnson. She passed away back in 1994, age 94, natural mystic, I guess. (laughs) Apart from her, there were the musicians in Allman Town, Kingston, that I used to hang out with all the time."

The world got to know your name thanks to 'Marathon', a collaboration with Alborosie you did back in 2014, and, of course, the fabulous 'Awakening' album that followed in 2017. It might surprise even your fans, but you did already release an earlier album. Spiritual: "Yeah, the 'My World' album… That one was released back in 2010. I'd already recorded 'Marathon' back in 2007 as part of the Chi Town Posse's 'Positive Vibes' album. Alborosie heard that track and decided to rework it and re-record it as a duet. I still believe that 'My World' didn't get the attention it deserved, so now that 'Awakening' has put my name out there I might give that album a second chance at one point, because it contains several songs that really merit to be heard!"

The very first song you ever recorded was a tune called 'Red Eye', a song many people will mistakenly assume being a ganja tune…  Spiritual: "I know, but it's definitely no ganja tune. The song talks about jealous and covetous people, always wanting what the other has, so in the lyrics it says: "If your eyes is red, Jah bigger than the red inna your eyes!"

Why did you decide on naming your second album 'Awakening'? Spiritual: "I feel too many people are walking through life asleep, blind for what's going on around them. I write about what I see happening around me… My music is meant a wake-up call to open their eyes, because it's high time for an 'Awakening' of the spirits!"

I think we can safely say that if there's one real anthem on the album, it has to be 'Stand Up To Rasta'. Spiritual: "I consider that to be one of the most serious songs I did thus far! It talks about the struggle the Rastafarian community endured for the longest time, both physically and mentally. Today Rasta's are more or less accepted in society, but for a long time they were outcasts, sometimes literally beaten out of their own community, chased from their homes and persecuted by the police. Until this day the Jamaican government is weary of Rastafari growing too big, but no matter how they want to try and keep us down Rastafari will keep on rising again and again! Rastafari means righteous living, having a clean heart and dealing with truth, rights and justice."

Another song definitely worth some attention is 'Tell Me Who', in which you cite the names of biblical characters, heroes from the black struggle for emancipation and musical icons… Spiritual: "I wrote that song because I wanted my fans to know how and why I became the man I am today. Those people ware and are my inspiration, my teachers, so if you want a deeper understanding of who I am, feel free to look up their names and learn for yourself! Each one teach one!"

Your voice is often compared to that of greats like Burning Spear and Culture's Joseph Hill. I believe you even knew the latter in person? Spiritual: "Oh yes, he was just one of many musicians living in Allman Town where I grew up. I used to go up to Joseph's house to go and pick fruits with his son Kenyatta while the band was rehearsing. I really enjoyed the vibes at that place and eventually would hang out there almost every day."

Like so many Jamaicans you got your first taste of singing in church choir. Spiritual: "Mrs. Rebecca, my guardian, was a church goer and she used to take me along. However, when Rastafari found me, I decided to stop going. But the pastor found me on the street one day and encouraged me to come back. That's when I joined the church choir. It really helped me in finding my voice and learning different singing techniques. After that I started singing on street corners and did a few concerts, but then I started working with disenfranchised youths, teaching them how to survive and my music was put on hold so to speak. It all changed when I did the 'Marathon' collaboration with Alborosie. Even though at first people were convinced it was Alborosie singing together with Burning Spear, so we had to tell them they were mistaken and it was actually me singing that tune! (laughs)"

From what age did you start carrying the name Spiritual? Spiritual: "I think I must have been about twelve years old… I've always been a religious person and in Allman Town there's a lot of badness going on, but I always kept a low profile, staying out of fights and all that. Because of the way I carried myself and the combination with my religious convictions, people started referring to me as Spiritual, and the name stuck. Now I've become a performing artist, and being Rastafarian, I've started to take the meaning of this name very serious and it's become like a beacon guiding me in my lifestyle choices."

How exactly did Rastafari find you? Spiritual: "Well, truthfully, for the longest time I was really torn between Christianity and Rastafari. The Father even came to me in a dream, telling me to go out into the people and preach, but I replied I wasn't ready as I was torn between two worlds. In the end I found more positivity and less confusion in Rastafari then I was finding in church. I basically grew up surrounded by Rasta's smoking their chalices, playing their drums, reasoning and what have you, and I always felt a great acceptance and open-mindedness when I hung around them as a little kid. And make no mistake, if they felt you were a bad influence, growing into a rudeboy you know, they would chase you away, but that never happened to me. In short, they helped me to become what I am today and I can only be grateful for that."

In conclusion, I wanted to ask you about a strange relationship you apparently have with the number seven? Spiritual: "Yeah, that's definitely a strange thing… I was born the seventh child, in the seventh month of the year and I've got seven kids myself. That number has been following me my whole life. It's a mystical thing."

Any final words of wisdom? Spiritual: "Let every man be quick to hear and slow to speak, slow to anger, for the anger of man does not awaken the righteousness of Jah. It's the righteous man that will have the Almighty's ear. Try to resist the temptations of your own desires and serve Jah in all humbleness. More love, more life and peace, love and unity for a better community! Rastafari!"