The Tribune

By Farah IT was a visit to Jamaica which inspired the soulful song "Long Lost Brother" by Bryan Cooper. The similarities between his homeland and Jamaica were nothing less than intriguing, and fueled the passion the upcoming artist had to write the song. Scenes of clear blue waters, high-top mountains, beautiful landscapes and a tour of reggae icon's Bob Marley's humble abode left a deep impression on the musician. He told In Ya Ear that after this experience and witnessing the cultural pride exuding from the Jamaican natives, the only thing left for him to do was document it in a song "Long Lost Brother". The debut single not only documents this experience, but touches on a variety of themes. One in particular challenges Bahamian listeners to become aware of who and the right impressions that clearly and truly reflects their Bahamian identities. "The song just flowed. I wrote it in a matter of minutes. Soon after, the song took on a life of its own; fueled by passion, I was able to compose the music for it. There is a lot going on in this song. The first verse in this song is talking about Jamaica and the beautiful scenes. As the song progresses I talk about the need for us to live as one and show that we are all brothers," he said. Featured on the song is beautiful voice of Shelly Ward who has a distinct musical style and helped bring "Long Lost Brother to what it is today. The song is on rotation at several local radio stations. Bryan has received very positive feedback to from Bahamian listeners. Some shared their views of the song with In Ya Ear. "I heard the song on the radio a couple days ago and I really love the flavor. It reminds me of old school reggae. I was trying to figure out for the longest who the artist was," Tanya said. The single alone sold 250 copies Bryan, told In Ya Ear. "I gave away a bunch of the CDs with this single because I just really wanted to know what people thought about the song and basically get their feedback," he said. Bryan also recently shot the video for Long Lost Brother. The video was shot in different areas of Nassau and grasps the entire theme of the song. It was shot by Justin Roth and will be released next month both in the United States and the Bahamas. One thing the artist hopes to do in the near future is create a new genera of music. "That is definitely something I hope to do. I sing different styles of music and intend on fuse a variety of genres together," he said. Long Lost Brother was mixed and mastered at Reel Time Studios. Bryan Cee was privileged to have had Pat Carey from Bahamian fame providing his expertise on guitar. In March 2011 Bryan found a home in an eclectic Pop Rock band. He is a member of "30 Something" band that is entered into the International Battle of the bands which is a competition involving many bands locally and world wide. Long Lost Brother will be one of two original songs featured in that contest. When Bryan is not doing his best to perfect is craft he is inspiring his music students. He is also a school teacher at St Bedes Catholics School, and Aquinas College.