Professor Rex Nettleford gave his endorsement of Steppin', the new album by singer Sheila Hylton, which was formally unveiled to the media and the music fraternity at the Liguanea Club on Thursday evening last.

Sheila Hylton

In a message read by Andrene Bonner, the professor said, "The launch of this new album by Sheila Hylton is worthy of the celebration it deserves from compatriots and fellow-artistes who have journeyed with her along a long road of exploration and experimentation to bring stature and respect to the music."

Placing the album in a historical context, the university professor said that Sheila Hylton's delivery of melodic contours, underpinned by the power of the beat, could only have come from the exciting, even at times, contentious encounters between Europe and Africa engaging the genius of contemporaries in the Americas.

"One is only as good as one's last work as the saying goes, and something every artiste with integrity implicitly understands. Sheila Hylton clearly understands this. She will be the first to admit that the journey never ends and that this newly cut album is merely a milestone on that journey.. It is therefore time to celebrate," Professor Nettleford's message concluded.

Best known for such hits as Don't Ask My Neighbour and The Bed's Too Big Without You, the multi-talented entertainer - who is an accomplished model, actress - on this her second album features the creative genius of Sly and Robbie,Tyrone Downie, Dean Fraser, Wayne Armond and that of the arranger/producer Ervin Allah Lloyd.

"As you know we've been working on this album a long time, Allah and myself, and it has now come to fruition and we're very totally satisfied with the finished product. Its eclectic, we've a little bit of everything, hip-hop, dancehall, traditional reggae, pop and I think it's going to go places because this is a track that will appeal to everyone.

and I think this is what we were working towards and this is what we've accomplished," Sheila Hylton told the Observer after delighting the gathering with some cuts from the new set.

With her recently released single One Room One Bed picking up momentum, the New York-based singer who earned a Grammy nomination for her participation on the various artistes set, Reggae Sunsplash' 81: A Tribute to Bob Marley, promised that she'll be spending more time here and is looking forward to performing here more often.

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