Samory I sets May 29 release for Revelation roots-reggae album

Samory I is lining up Revelation as more than a new album drop. The third studio set arrives May 29 through TunUp Squad Entertainment, with Clive Hunt steering the production and a May 27 listening event set for The Gardens of the Pegasus, giving the rollout a live centerpiece before the music reaches streaming platforms.

The shape of the project already points to why it is being treated as one of the month’s key roots-reggae releases. Revelation is built around truth, resilience, spirituality, love and social awareness, a thematic mix that suits Samory I’s reputation as a conscious singer with a melodic edge. The album is also being framed as a step forward in his artistry, with Samory I describing it as a project about growth, reflection and purpose, and about opening the eyes, mind and spirit while keeping the music authentic.

That ambition is backed by a heavyweight production team. Clive Hunt, a veteran Jamaican producer, arranger, composer and multi-instrumentalist with more than five decades in the business, leads the album, while Ruel Potarice Ashbourne coordinated the project and co-produced some of the tracks. For a singer whose name has been steadily rising across the roots spectrum, that pairing gives Revelation the kind of foundation that can carry an album from early buzz to lasting discussion.

The tracklist suggests a full-length statement rather than a loose collection of singles. Beatport lists Revelation at 11 tracks, including Zion, Letter to My Son featuring Baye Gallo, Woe Today, Don’t Give Up, Warning featuring Keznamdi, Fire Burning, High Praise, Cruise featuring Agent Sasco, also known as Assassin, Victory featuring Chronic Law, Siren featuring Govana, and Season to Love. Three songs from the project are already out, and the response around them has been described as critically acclaimed, with those features helping the album bridge roots-reggae identity and the wider dancehall ecosystem around it.

The anticipation also rests on what Samory I has already done. His solo debut Strength arrived on November 17, 2023, via Overstand Entertainment and Easy Star Records as an 11-track album, and Rolling Stone ranked it No. 42 on its 100 Best Albums of 2023 list, making it the only reggae album on that year-end ranking. Before that, Black Gold, his 2017 collaborative album with Rory 'Stonelove' Gilligan, ran 13 tracks and further established his range. With Revelation, Samory I enters a release window that already feels set up for impact, and the May 27 listening event suggests the campaign is building toward a roots-reggae moment rather than a routine release.