Nolan & International Women In Reggae Join Forces on New Reggae Single 'Truth B' Told'

Musical artist Nolan and the all female reggae band International Women In Reggae have joined forces on the new reggae single Truth B' Told in time for the 2022 midterm elections on November 8.

The single was officially launched on National Voter Registration Day, Tuesday September 20, with a new music video across Instagram, Facebook and You Tube platforms. It is described by singer- songwriter Nolan as "Social commentary and an urgent call to action, in time for one of the most significant midterm elections we will ever see in our lifetime."

According to the Jewish born Brooklyn native, Truth B' Told is essentially both a warning and a wakeup call to voters to take the November 8 midterm election extremely seriously as, in his opinion, "Our very democracy and way of living is now under major threat. The dramatic extent to which truth is under siege by both Republican politicians and supporters of the former President is alarming. When opinions become facts and when truth just no longer matters, we are in a dangerous place. With this song, I'm asking those who are still reasonable and who can impact the election results by voting to really pay attention to where we are and what's at stake and do something about it before it's too late. The life you are living now may well depend on it."

The release of the hard hitting, no holds barred song and accompanying video is the result of over forty years of tenacity, passion and hard work from an artist who believes that his time has come.

Born Nolan Myerson to middle class parents in racially diverse East New York, he found himself attracted to the music of such legends as Aretha Franklin, The Beach Boys and, in his words, "The two Bobs- Dylan and Marley," from an early age. The powerful message in the music of songs such as Marley's Redemption Song, Buffalo Soldier and Get Up Stand Up made a real and lasting impact that would influence his own work in the lyrics of Truth B' Told decades later.

In the meantime, by the late 1970's, Nolan was playing open mic nights as both a solo act and with bands he formed, while driving a cab to supplement his income as he pursued his music career. But over the next few years, marriage, children and the accompanying responsibilities that came as a result would lead him to various jobs in the corporate world, despite a hint of success that came when he sold a song for an industrial video to Bell Telephone Company (now Verizon).

After dabbling on the side in songwriter groups such as NSAI ( National Songwriters Association Inc.) where, in his words, " I was writing songs for other people and having them all rejected," the 2016 election of the former President and the events that followed during his four year term gave Nolan an epiphany.

"I was so concerned about where the country was heading that I decided that I had to do something, and that instead of writing songs that I thought people wanted to hear, I needed to write songs about what I wanted to say," he says. "Truth B' Told actually started life as a country song called I'm For The USA, but I started to change it to something more proactive in the runup to the 2020 election and then it evolved further following the January 6 insurrection. Eventually, I decided I would complete and release it in time for the 2022 midterms, to jolt people out of their normal 'midterm apathy,' which we now cannot afford with everything that is at stake this November."

He met International Women in Reggae founder Ariane Wint and the band through mutual musical acquaintances and it was their involvement that created the reggae inspired version of the song that exists today.

Wint, an accomplished percussionist, founded the group in 2017 and they are one of the very few all female reggae bands currently active in the USA. Prior to working with Nolan, they had already shared the stage with the likes of Grammy Award nominee Monty Alexander, as well as Marcia Griffiths, Judy Mowatt and Ken Boothe among others.

"With the help of Ariane and the ladies, the song took on a totally different direction, with the one drop drummer pocket setting the stage for the introduction of the piano, the traveling bass line and the lead guitar swapping sections with the horns. The call and response vocals between me and the IWIR lead vocalists is kind of reminiscent of Bob Marley and the I Three , which, in my opinion, adds depth and texture to what is essentially an urgent call for a Truth Revolution."

With several more songs in the pipeline, Nolan is already anticipating completion of a full album soon, and while he says he still loves rock and roll, he believes that "Reggae is a kind of biological essence that takes over your entire body. And it will always be the backdrop for what I'm trying to create. I will never try to fake a Jamaican accent. But I'll punctuate my lyrics with the music in such a way that it will fully complete the sound that I'm trying to achieve."

Truth B' Told the single is now available on most streaming platforms.

Photo credit: Ian Buddington

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