Shortly after moving to the United States almost 30 years ago, Denzel Martin continued the recording career he had started in Jamaica. He soon found out that making a stable living was priority and he gave music “an extended pause.”
He returned to the fold four years ago with “Love Song”. His latest effort is the ominous “War” which looks at the grim crime situation in Chicago where he has lived since the early 1990’s, and Jamaica.
“Even when I was working as a (graphic) designer, I was writing songs. Music was never far from my mind,” said Martin.
One of the follow-ups to “Love Song” was a cover of Lionel Richie’s “Hello”. But the frightening homicide rates in Chicago and Jamaica prompted him to write “War”.
"It makes you develop fear," said Martin of crime in his adopted hometown, the most violent major city in the US. "You don't know what's going to happen when you walk out of your house."
Martin keeps updated with current affairs in Jamaica by listening to radio broadcasts on the Internet. The Caribbean country has recorded over 1,000 homicides in 2021.
Though he was born in Kingston, Martin spent most of his formative years in Portland. His first songs, including “Memory”, were produced in the late 1980’s by Nelson Miller, then the drummer with Burning Spear's band.
Written By Howard Campbell