Nine years after her majestic Spellbound debut album, reggae luminary Kelissa has finally returned with a new soulful, grounded collection of tunes that champion The Good Side of Things. The sister of Grammy winner Keznamdi and partner of Grammy-nominated reggae superstar Chronixx, Kelissa crafted her new record from years of major life changes and music industry evolutions. In a way, she was in an Exile of her own.
“I’ve been working!” she tells Billboard with a laugh. “This process took years. We made a lot more music across different genres, but this combination of songs was what felt most needed right now. And making this music was such a healing process. I really believe in curating a sound for albums; I don’t think it should just be a random collection of songs. Although this [album] has a very diverse sound, we worked very hard to create one sound — and that’s what took all this time.”
Dripping with hard-earned faith and optimism, The Good Side of Things blends Kelissa’s roots reggae foundation with her love for world music and signature poetic lyrics. “Cut & Clear” opens the set with an earthy, woodwind-accented instrumental; “Jah Odo (Jah Love)” delivers a rollicking, brass-infused groove; and “Trying,” a notable standout, finds Kelissa reimagining an original song her mother wrote and performed 10 years ago. Deeply entrenched in the music world, Kelissa and her three siblings are the children of Errol “Jakmandora” McDonald and Kerida “Goldilocks” Scott, the leaders of reggae band Chakula. Through blending original compositions with covers of her parents’ own music, Kelissa underscores the continued importance of legacy and lineage in reggae music.
