Tony Curtis shows ‘grown-up’ side in new single ‘Power Of Fear’
Published:Saturday | February 19, 2022 | 12:07 AMStephanie Lyew/Gleaner Writer
No musical protester, Tony Curtis has long been influenced by the sounds of rhythms and blues, jazz and soul of the 1970s through to the 1990s, and has managed to send sobering messages, covering deeply entrenched social issues through his performances. Whether the messages were about the need for love, addressing disunity within the music industry or telling the government or law enforcers to stop giving marijuana a fight, the veteran reggae-dancehall singer and songwriter insisted on adding thought-provoking tracks within his catalogue, even while keeping fans of his softer, soulful songs – originals or covers – intrigued to listen.
“There’s no Tony Curtis without songs like those. I can never perform without singing the hits like Do You Wanna, Sweet Lady, and Love Should Have Brought You Home, all of these and more. Each time I perform, I always incorporate other message-filled tracks people still love but don’t get to hear often,” he told The Gleaner.
Last week, the singer kick-started a mini-tour to introduce Power Of Fear, one of the more conscious-themed songs, which he explained shows a “grown-up Tony” to his international audience and instantly makes any listener think. He hopes the song will have a great impact, especially since he has amplified the song’s promotion during February, which is celebrated as Reggae Month.
GREAT SENSE OF BEING
“My brain has opened up a little bit more and I am coming at them with a greater sense of being, and sense of the music. (So) I have a better approach in what and how I deliver and who I deliver it to,” he said.
He shared that the lyrics speak to the “tactics to control how others think”. Tony Curtis offered, “What the world has been going through these past two years, it is the power of fear,” adding that, because he understands the power of fear, “I can’t say I have any fears as such to make me feel different or that have made me make certain decisions.”
According to the veteran, the power of fear “is the way persons at the higher level or the ‘bigger’, powerful men who have say in the rules, use fear or incite it, to make the people at the lower level follow or make decisions.”
The mini-tour is in the form of a series of scheduled shows throughout Philadelphia and New York, with the most recent being Strictly ‘80s and ‘90s ‘The Bronx Edition’ held at the Mingles Lounge in the Bronx. He said he has been enjoying Tony Curtis ‘back in concert’ mode minus the cold nights. Tony Curtis shared that the feedback has been motivating thus far, and he is enjoying the energy of the people who have come out to see his performances. He is having fun but also taking the time out to reason with them.
“I have a lot of friends and many persons who I sit and reason with. We share information where we can all benefit and learn, and, in turn, that I can make music about and spread the knowledge. How people gain knowledge and experience from reasoning with others who are open-minded and may be smarter than you makes you smarter,” Tony Curtis said.
“I am just here to do a couple of shows, then I return home to complete the EP for the song …. I am here to push the single and give the people a piece of the Tony Curtis then and now,” he continued.