Raised in Duhaney Park in the heart of Kingston, Jamaica, Michael Dawkins is who has been writing, recording, and refining his sound for over thirty years. Previously an artist under the moniker Micky D, Dawkins first tasted fame in 1988 with his hit, ‘Don’t Give Me The Crack’. Since then, his success has continued, taking on the regional reggae charts in the United States with covers of The Hollies' ‘He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother’ and Delroy Wilson's ‘Rain From The Sky’.
While not a cover artist at heart, Dawkins has a unique approach to getting his songs heard, "Covers are easier to promote 'cause people are more familiar with them. But I write a lot of songs...my album ‘SOJOURN’ had 17 songs and 14 were originals," he explained recently.
Another modern cover of a classic song, Dawkins’ latest release is a new take on Bread’s ‘Baby I’m-a Want You’, written back in 1972 by the great David Ashworth Gates. According to Dawkins, as soon as he had finished recording the song he knew he had a hit, and just as he expected, it went straight to Number 1 on the United States iTunes Reggae Chart.
Dawkins said that he decided to do a cover version of the song, which was produced by Big Scope Records, because it has been a favourite of his since he was a kid; "I like the changes in the rhythm spectrum, that strum mix it has," he said. An ardent radio listener in the early 1970’s, Dawkins first heard Bread's ballad, "Baby I'm A Want You’ and he had always longed to cover the blue-eyed soul classic.
While the progression is similar to the original, Dawkins said he brought something different to the vocals. "The melody in the bridge is different from the original. Also, I do a little slur at the intro which is not in Bread's version," he told the Jamaica Observer.
Released alongside it’s official music video featuring model Marie Lolany and special guest Miss Slimm. ‘Baby I'm A Want You’ is currently available on Spotify and iTunes.
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