Pato Banton Releases New Album "Destination Paradise" With "My Opinion Pt III"

It's been 8 months to the day since I posted news of Pato Banton's next album and today I received word that Destination Paradise is ready to ship. I first learned of the album when Pato mentioned it on stage at his show in San Francisco in January.

Pato Banton live in SF (photo by Molli Fire)

He told his audience that this would be his "last" album, though he didn't elaborate on what that meant. Then Pato launched into a new version of "My Opinion" which he was to be on the upcoming album, caled "My Opinion Pt III". (Listen to it in the video at the end of this post.) Tomorrow (Tuesday), Banton launches the new album plus an updated myspace page. The 12-track album, Destination Paradise, is described on Pato's website:

From the very beginning there are many great moments on this Cd. Track 1"Got To Keep Moving On" shows Pato's young at heart vibe as he features an intro with 4 year old Jadyn Z. On track 2 I-Levi of Rising Son & cootdog of the Mystic Roots Band deliver awesome vocal performances on "Heal This World" and an unexpected collaboration with RBX (from Dr. Dre's Camp) is candy for the ears, as he and Pato trade lines on the crucial R&B groove "Let There Be Love." Professor Einstein's steel pan solo soars on "Special To Me," a beautiful love song which captures the vibe of the Caribbean Islands. Without a doubt Pato Banton delivers his best recordings ever on this 12 track album of original compositions that move the body and inspire the mind."

The release of "Destination Paradise" this summer will be an exciting turning point in this legendary artist's career as he continues to tour nationally and internationally spreading the good news and uplifting the masses with a message of peace and love.

You can listen to "Got To Keep Moving On" with 4-year-old Jadyn Z right now on Pato's myspace page, as well as "Better Place" and "My Opinion Pt III" (the song in the video below).

http://www.myspace.com/patobanton

They're not kidding when they say peace and love. Plenty of reggae artists promise it, but Pato really brings it! The multiple times I've seen him perform, he had the audience introduce themselves to the people around them and basically dancing on air by the end of the show. It's truly a unique experience. Probably similar to what church should feel like - uplifting and awe-inspiring - but rarely lives up to in the tedium. (Maybe I just haven't been to the right church yet.) So, if you're interested in a reggae religious experience, Pato is where it's at!

Destination Paradise will be released Tuesday, Sept. 16 on iTunes and is available for mail order now, directly from Pato Banton's website (via Paypal):

http://www.patobanton.com/

I love what I've heard of the album thus far and Pato is one of my all-time favorite artists to support. So, you better believe I'm going to buy this album and I recommend you do too!

Here is "My Opinion Pt III" live at the SF show in January 2008:

Oh my Jah that song weaves to the center of my soul... To me, this feels like the darkest song Pato has ever played. I was almost in tears that night!

For more about the show, see my previous post.