When a song gets to the public via the airwaves or the dancehall, it is at the end of a long creative process. Today, The Sunday Gleaner takes you to an earlier stage in the making of a song than at the point where it is made a hit (or not) through publicity. We take you into the studio, to where lines are recorded and re-recorded, where decisions are made on the spot, and the results preserved forever on record.

Mel Cooke, Gleaner Writer

Sly and Robbie (drummer Sly Dunbar and bassist Robbie Shakespeare, respectively) are not at their One Pop studio on Red Hills Road, St Andrew, when The Sunday Gleaner pops into the voicing session for the remix of Chuckleberry's Good Life. They have a presence, though, pictures of the legendary musicians and producers on the walls of the studio.

The voicing session is put on hold for a tad, while Jah Cure voices a quick dub-plate for Gladiator sound system, then it's time for Chuckleberry to lay his vocals.

Best version

The 'Merry Go Round' rhythm has already been made and the lyrics written (after all, it is a remix), but still there is the voicing to be done and it is not the easiest of tasks. Engineer Shane and producer Ra-Umi Alkebulan have to listen carefully for mispronunciations and that elusive thing called 'flow' and there are multiple takes of the vocals in search of the best version.

Later, different takes will be put together to get the best version of the Good Life remix.

But a voicing session with Chuckleberry is not simply a matter of laying the vocals. True to his name, he is a merry soul (he pulls down his sunshades and takes a second look at The Sunday Gleaner reporter, saying he was wondering whether it was the glasses that made his face look so serious) and there is many a laugh during the session, as he paints a rhythmic word picture of the luxury he wants to put his lady in.

So he intones, "It is a pleasure to be your Mister Right", in the introduction and, as the rhythm really hits, Chuckleberry is almost jogging on the spot as he deejays, hands making quick, but restrained movements (don't want to move too much in front of the microphone now).

'Don' wipe it'

On that first voicing he stops and says, "yu a take it?" The engineer had hit the record button in the fully computerised studio and the producer says, "Don' wipe it. Gimme a next track."

There is laughter when Chuckleberry tells his girl she won't "haffi hide from Courts an' yu landlord again". Still, he says, "voice no warm yet."

There is plenty time to get it warm; Shane plugs in a microphone so he can talk back to Chuckleberry. "Yu a hear me Chuckle?" he asks. Chuckleberry says, "Yeah." There is a pause, then Chuckleberry asks "A dat alone yu waan me hear?"

There are more chuckles all around.

Shane suggests that there is a different introduction to make it clear that it is a remix and is "no like we fly the vocal". Chuckleberry starts again, saying to the lady, "I hear you are bored/Boyfriend always out playing dominoes/Always with Tyrone."

'No eediat'

But the excitement level really cranks up in the studio when Chuckleberry starts a fast-paced verse with "fragile, agile ..." and closes it with "I gwine give yu loving till yu spoil". With all the merriment, though, Shane takes a careful second listen and sure enough there is a word that is not as clear as it should be. While they try perfecting that section, Shane cautions Alkebulan about the editing that will take place afterwards at a different studio. "Mek sure de man whe a chop up a no eediat," he says.

So one hour after the Good Life remix voicing session began, The Sunday Gleaner leaves 'One Pop' with Chuckleberry, Shane and Alkebulan still at it, winding down the session, but still listening keenly right up to the very end.