The Romeo name has carried weight in reggae for more than half a century, and now a new generation is putting its own stamp on it. Azizzi Romeo’s debut full-length album, *Signs of the Time*, is out now on vinyl and all digital platforms, and it doubles as a family record with Max Romeo and Xana Romeo both appearing.
The news came straight from Max Romeo’s own Instagram, where the post billed the guest spots simply as “Featuring the Romeo family: Max & Xana Romeo!” The tone was short and proud, closer to a parent sharing good news than a label rollout.
The credits list is worth reading closely. The album is a Recall Reality Records release produced by Chllngr and Thomas Le Holt, with the Guiding Star Orchestra handling instruments. Prince Fatty mixed it, and mastering was done at Six Bit Deep.
The Prince Fatty credit will catch the ear of anyone who follows modern roots and dub. The UK producer and engineer has built a following for warm, analog-leaning work, including his long run of records with Hollie Cook.
Having him on the mixing desk suggests *Signs of the Time* is aimed at listeners who care about how a reggae record actually sounds, not just who is singing on it.
The format choice points the same way. Pressing a debut on vinyl alongside the streaming release is a nod to the crate-digging audience that has kept classic and contemporary roots reggae alive. Max Romeo’s own catalog is a big part of why that audience exists.
That catalog is the obvious frame for this release. Max broke through internationally with “Wet Dream” in the late 1960s and later made *War Ina Babylon* with Lee “Scratch” Perry. “Chase the Devil” went on to be sampled by The Prodigy on “Out of Space” and by Jay-Z on “Lucifer.
There are two ways to read his appearance on his son’s first album. One is as a passing of the torch, with an elder statesman lending his voice and credibility to the next Romeo stepping up. The other is that a famous surname can be a heavy thing to carry on a debut, and listeners may end up measuring Azizzi against his father before they hear him on his own terms.
Xana Romeo’s presence complicates that picture in a useful way. With three Romeos on the record, the album reads less like a single heir being introduced and more like a family band of voices sharing space. The billing on the post leans into exactly that idea.
So far the only official word is the announcement itself, with no tracklist details or press statements beyond the credits. With the album now out in physical and digital form, the real test starts as reggae fans and selectors get it on their turntables and decide where Azizzi fits in the Romeo story.
