On April 20th, The Royal Family of Reggae Morgan Heritage will release their next studio album, Strictly Roots followed by a spring tour under the same name. The Pier caught up with Mojo Morgan to discuss the upcoming album & tour.
Morgan Heritage are no strangers to the reggae-music scene as Strictly Roots will be the groups 17th official release in 21 years as a family ran group. The new album includes 12 total tracks fusing reggae and dancehall with a slew of guest appearances that include Chronixx, Jemere Morgan, Jo Mersa Marley, J Boog, Eric Rachmany of Rebelution, Bobby Lee of SOJA and more.
Among the heavyweight co-producers with Morgan Heritage on Strictly Roots include Don Chandler, Seani B, Shane C. Brown, Jason ‘J-Vibe’ Farmer, Matthieu Bost and Jeremie Dessus; guitarist Andrew Simpson and DJ Fras. 
Aside from all of the impressive guest features and collaborators, this album remains special to the siblings of the Royal Reggae Family as it is the first project produced under their own label of CTBC Music (Cool to be Conscious). The album will release digitally on April 20th and the physical copy will be available April 21st.
When I caught up with vocalist, Mojo Morgan, he explained that “This new album pushes the envelope lyrically and musically like never before. It will surprise and enlighten music lovers all over the globe. We feel as if we’ve covered the full spectrum of Jamaican music and how it has influenced today’s global music industry. The root of these influences you hear come from Jamaica. Hence the title ‘Strictly Roots.'”
You can experience a taste of the new album below with a music video to the album’s first single, “Perform and Done” that was filmed on location at the weekly Mojito Mondays event in Kingston, Jamaica with director William Richards.
Morgan Heritage will take their Strictly Roots album on their Strictly Roots tour that starts on April 8th. While more dates are expected to be added, there are 13 total shows, all mostly on the west coast with a couple of stops in NY and D.C. to get the tour started.
Mojo pointed out that “Denver will be a highlight on this upcoming tour because we haven’t played in the state of Colorado since the legalization of Marijuana.” They play Denver on April 15th at Cervantes and as they’re expected to start playing most of the new songs live. When I asked Mojo which new songs we could expect be performed live, he states: ” We are excited to play songs like Child of Jah feat Chronixx, Light It Up feat Jo Mersa Marley, Rise and Fall and the title track Strictly Roots.”
As for what fans can look forward to with the rest of the tour, Mojo adds that: “In our new show we’re putting together for the Strictly Roots world tour, we’ll pay tribute to our Uncle Toots and The Maytals, Garnet Silk and the legend Peter Tosh, just to name few.”
Related Links:
Morgan Heritage Website
Morgan Heritage Facebook
Article by: Mike Patti
Watch: Morgan Heritage – “Perform and Done”
