Burning Spear isn’t just dropping a new live recording. He’s asking fans to push it to the top of the charts. “Lets make it number 1,” the roots reggae veteran wrote on Facebook while announcing “Call on Me,” a live collaboration with Jesse Royal that’s now out on all streaming platforms.
The post itself is classic Spear: short, direct, and signed off with the two words that have defined his career. “Maximum respect,” he wrote of Royal, before closing with “Roots and Culture.” There’s no long promotional rollout or elaborate press push, just the track, the credit, and a rallying call.
The pairing is the part worth paying attention to. Winston Rodney has carried the Burning Spear name since the late ’60s, and albums like 1975’s “Marcus Garvey” helped set the template for conscious, Garvey-inspired roots reggae.
He’s also a two-time Grammy winner for Best Reggae Album, taking the award for “Calling Rastafari” and later for “Jah Is Real.
Jesse Royal comes from a very different moment. He rose as part of the reggae revival generation that brought roots-minded music back to the center of Jamaican culture, alongside names like Chronixx and Protoje. His 2017 album “Lily of da Valley” cemented him as one of the more grounded, message-driven voices of that wave.
On paper, the collaboration reads as a meeting between a founding architect of the sound and one of the artists who inherited it.
For longtime Spear listeners, it’s a chance to hear the elder statesman on stage with someone who grew up on the tradition he helped build. For Royal’s younger audience, it’s a direct line back to the source material.
The live format adds another layer. Burning Spear’s reputation has always leaned heavily on his stage show, where his slow-building, chant-like delivery tends to stretch and breathe in ways studio versions don’t. Releasing a live take rather than a polished studio cut suggests the energy of the room was the point.
The “number 1” push is where things get interesting. Roots reggae has rarely been built around chart positions, and Spear’s catalog has thrived for decades on loyalty, touring, and word of mouth rather than streaming algorithms.
Openly asking fans to drive a live track up the charts is a modern move from an artist whose whole identity is rooted in tradition.
Some listeners will likely see that as a smart way to get a veteran’s music in front of streaming-era ears. Others might wonder how much chart rankings matter for music that has always defined success in terms of message and longevity. Either way, the call has been made directly by Spear himself.
Neither artist has shared details yet about where the performance was recorded or whether more material from the same show is on the way. For now, “Call on Me” is out, Spear has made his ask, and it’s up to the fans to answer it.
