Central Vibe

August 12: Eek-A-Mouse (Dancehall Reggae)

Serving up an encore performance to last July’s packed Music in the Park, Ripton Joseph Hylton (aka Eek-A-Mouse) returns to San Jose to win over fans from all music genres over with his original style of "sing-jaying" - an early form of toasting (boastful catch phrases, singing and DJ work) mixed with funky vocal gymnastics and effects.  Mouse's contribution to the genre is a percussive, nasally vocal style, and a talent for using his voice as a musical instrument that moved The Boston Globe to call him “The Al Jarreau of reggae.”  More than a quarter-century of recording (his first two releases "My Father's Land" and "Creation", came out under his real name in the mid-70s while he was still in College) and global touring have hardly changed the dancehall godfather's husky Kingston patois.  Though his voice is smooth and rich in tone, Mouse's unique re-imagining of English grammatical rules can prove challenging to the unprepared ear.  1982 was the year of the Mouse, with a litter of smash singles including "Wild Like a Tiger," "For Hire and Removal," "Do You Remember," and "Ganja Smuggling," and the seminal album, Wa Do Dem, rounding up most of the hits and more.  While a couple of decades removed from the early '80s Jamaican dancehall scene that solidified his reputation as one of the genre's most irreverent and oft-copied toasters, The Mouse — as he is fond of calling himself — hardly feels his career has peaked or that his time has passed.

Opener: The Hold Up (reggae / hip-hop / pop)