Kerk Milan banks on Dennis Brown cover version

Reggae singer Kerk Milan is hoping that a cover version of a Dennis Brown single, Why Baby Why, will propel his career to a new level.

"D Brown is my favourite singer. I wanted to do a Dennis Brown cover that nobody has never done before, something exclusive, and you have to be a real passionate D Brown fan to know that song. It was written and produced by Willie Lindo for Joe Gibbs, and it is on the Inseparable album," Kerk Milan said. Why Baby Why was originally released by Dennis Brown in 1982.

Popular producer Troy McLean made a huge effort to use a who's who of famous musicians to recreate the magic of the original song.

"We used Dalton Browne on the electric guitar weeks before he died. We recruited Dean Fraser who did the original horns, while Sly Dunbar programmed the drums and Oonga played the drums. We made sure that this song is top quality," McLean said.

The song will be the first major release from Kerk Milan's debut 12-song album, Reggae World, which will be released on the First Name Music label during the first quarter of 2022.

"All tracks are complete, except for a possible combination with Sizzla, so things are progressing well," said Kerk Milan, whose given name is Rory Beckford.

Some of the singles include the title track Reggae World and a collaboration called Vibe Up featuring Khalia.

Jamaica-born Kerk Milan emigrated to England in 2001 where he currently resides in Luton, London. He has performed on several reggae shows in England.

He changed his name from Lemonade to Kerk Milan in 2013, recording his first single in 2014, a cover version of Picture On the Wall which was originally done by Freddie McKay.