Tuff Gong
Artistes: Brian Gold | Mutabaruka | Wayne Marshal | TOK

Day 6 began at Tuff Gong studio with Brian Gold's negotiation for space on the “ark”. He had the same question Beenie Man had asked the night before. Handel’s directions were the same: find some land and squat.

He smiled after listening to the track a few more times, joking that he knew he could keep up with Alaine on her verse, and that's where he wanted to come in. The blend of his airy 'Hear the Calling' with Alaine's sugary voice couldn't have been better scripted; it immediately became a staple in the song. He recorded his ad libs next, and long after he had finished I was still thinking of all the beautiful things one could do with a voice like his, that could make a wail sound soft and intense at the same time. His voice has so much depth, into which a cameo on a track like this can only give a brief glimpse.

He came round to the mixing board to hear his layer of the mix. He listened…and heard that it was good.

T.O.K had fun working on the track. It was refreshing to see a group of young talented guys who genuinely enjoy what they do; they were serious while crafting their part and then they let it loose behind the mic.

They are the only male group to sing on this song and they used this to their advantage by focusing on harmonies. They listened to the mood of the track and added depth. A memorable moment in their session was their recording of the harmony for Barrington's verse. It was like opening a window in the song and letting in a bright beam of light. Make sure you listen to this part of the song with your eyes closed... And tell me if you see it too.

Wayne Marshal seemed shy at first, silently mouthing the lyrics while waiting in a corner of the studio as TOK recorded in the booth. At his turn behind the mic, he started warming up to the melody. Eyes closed, head upturned and hands clasping his headphones, he had the look of an artist finding his way around a musical landscape. He quickly found a way to incorporate his sound in his catchy phrasing of 'If we all listen we can make this change.’

"Aha!! You like that Handel?" he eagerly asked. Yes, Handel did.

It was something of a Eureka moment. From then on, he added creative suggestions for new things he wanted to try out, and Handel gave him free rein. Watching Wayne vibe behind the mic, you saw that here was a man eager to let you hear what he could do.

Visiting the session that day to take in the vibes were industry veterans including the JFM President Desmond Young, producer Clive Hunt, Solid Agency's Sharon Burke and Inside the Musik Biz host Teddy Laidley.