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Nine Mile is the title of the ninth studio album from Italian reggae singer, deejay and producer based in Kingston, Alborosie. If the name sounds familiar, it could be because Nine Mile in St Ann is the birthplace of King of Reggae, Bob Marley.
“ Nine Mile represents a journey within the magic of Jamaica, the culture, the traditions, the sound. It’s also Bob’s birthplace, which gives it a mystical energy. The message is to search for that Nine Mile place within yourself, the secret hideaway, the safe zone where you can be who you truly are,”explained Alborosie, whose given name is Alberto D’Ascola.
The project, which was written and produced at his Shengen Studio in Kingston, blends roots reggae with elements of bossa nova, dub, and ‘80s rock, shaped by two decades of international touring, collaboration, and cultural exchange. Nine Mile follows 2023’s Destiny, which featured Buju Banton, Kabaka Pyramid, Jaz Elise, and more.
Alborosie recorded and performed nearly every part of the album himself, with additional support from a few close collaborators including Aston Barrett Jr., son of the late Wailers member Aston ‘Family Man’ Barrett, on select tracks playing drums and bass.
Nine Mile opens with Calling Selassie, a rallying cry built around Nyabinghi drums and an epic horn section. Trench Town Legend follows as a tribute to Reggae’s birthplace, interlacing lines from Bob Marley’s songbook into a homage to the music’s far-reaching and enduring impact. Elsewhere, Alborosie broadens his palette: Come My Way reimagines one of Augustus Pablo’s signature productions, immortalised on King Tubby Meets the Rockers Uptown, as a lovers rock confession, while Ipanema and Ganas De Verte draw on sonics native to Brazil. The title track, Nine Mile, closes the album in acoustic form, distilling its message to vocals and guitar.
The album arrives as Alborosie continues an extensive world tour with his Shengen Clan band, following a run of summer festival appearances across Europe and the United States. Upcoming performances include the Nine Mile Latin America Tour this fall, with shows in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Mexico, Colombia, and Costa Rica.
Born in 1977 on Sicily’s western coast, Alberto D’Ascola came of age during turbulent political and cultural times. He recalls a time when Western Europe was facing major socio-economic shifts, and young people were searching for identity in a rapidly changing world. It was around the age of 15, he says, when he felt a magnetic pull toward the sounds of reggae.
That spark was first lit by a TV commercial playing Jamming and a Bob Marley cassette tape. Soon after, he began teaching himself multiple instruments and formed the band Reggae National Tickets. The group was based in Bergamo, northeast of Milan, during a time when ska and reggae had become a voice for disillusioned European youth.
“Reggae became revolutionary music adopted by Europeans who were fed up,” he said. “By people who had no ‘spaces’ to call their own.”
Though he’d found a niche, he felt there was more to discover. “I was 17 going on 18 and had grown a lot, but I knew I had to go to Jamaica.”
He made his first trip just after turning 18, as part of a group of 15 reggae fans. Each return visit deepened his appreciation for the music’s cultural roots and spiritual dimension. Over time, he realised that much of the reggae popularised in Europe “wasn’t relevant in Jamaica”. That understanding prompted his next move. In 2003, he relocated to Kingston, Jamaica, to fully immerse himself in the culture and pursue a solo career. Nine Mile, which arrived October 24, dives into the music and ideas that first inspired him as a teenager in Italy.
The album is now available on vinyl, CD, digital and streaming platforms via VP/Greensleeves Records.
English (US) ·