O'neil Peart - Contributed

Next year might spell doom and gloom for many, but O'neil Peart is expecting good things in 2009 with his music career.

Peart, who sees himself more as an international artiste, already has a song out, Judge Them, which was produced by Shane Brown and is on the greensleeves label.

He also has other songs that he expects will be released early in the new year, including two tracks that were produced by veteran producers Mafia and Fluxy. The songs - Pretty Girl and Revelation - lover's rock and roots reggae tunes respectively, are based on his experiences as a young man growing up in the inner city, but from a perspective refreshingly different from what tends to be the norm.

"My reality is kind of different, it's kind of mixed up with what I see in the future," he said. "That future should be about how I can elevate myself."

Different path

The 23-year-old singer admits that it was hard staying away from the guns and violence while growing up in Greenwich Farm, but instead of making it the core of his music like so many of today's entertainers do, he chose a different path.

"I want to sing uplifting music to inspire people," he said.

"My thing is not about where I am coming from, but where I am heading." Such is the nature of Revelation, which is to be released soon.

He offers further insight as to what provided the inspiration for the song.

"People get up and do things and they don't know why," he said, arguing that people rob and sell drugs to get rich and continue to do so even after they have achieved their objectives, which suggests that there are other motivators at work.

Peart, the 2007 prime minister awardee for arts and culture, also has a couple other songs set for release - Still Got the Blues, that was produced by Evan Mullings, on the rednile label and Hard Core produced by Computer Paul, on the boot camp label.

Still Got the Blues was recorded on the snake charmer rhythm at the Music Factory in July and is described by Mullings as "the age-old classic of not knowing a good thing until it's gone." He said he had not contemplated putting new artistes on the rhythm but when he heard a recording that Peart's manager sent him, he changed his mind. "He has brought some exciting melodies to the song," Mullings said. "His voice complements the song really well."

Promote it heavily

He likes the song so much he plans to "promote it heavily" on its release next year. Mullings said other artistes including Lutan Fyah, Tony Curtis and Carol Gonzales, have recorded songs on the rhythm and Peart's is right up there with theirs.

Peart is also confident that his upcoming releases will do well, because they bring a 'cooler vibe', he said. Jamaica, he added, also needs back its singers.

"Jamaica needs back its Wayne Wonders and people like Sanchez. They took up the mantle from people like John Holt and Freddie McGregor. I see myself as taking up the mantle from those guys," he stated.

The Rising Star entrant, who claims also to be inspired by a wide spectrum of entertainers including Bob Marley, Erica Badu and Brian McKnight, is down to perform at Camp Fire at Windalco, in Clarendon on new year's eve. It will provide the ideal platform to launch his musical campaign into the new year as he embarks on his quest to be the "next big thing coming out of Jamaica."