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.
Pato Banton is currently on tour with Eek-A-Mouse, entertaining multi-generation crowds of reggae fans with his uplifting stage antics. He's one of my favorite artists to see live because he never stops smiling and bounces around the stage with such joy. From what I have seen and heard of Pato's music and presence, he is carrying the torch that Bob Marley was forced to abandon when he died. ...