Leighton Levy, Star Writer

Even though he makes a good living as an engineer in California, USA, Jamaican-born singer Black Ice can't stay away from music.

In late 2013, he released We're Lovers, a duet with Sophia Brown that was well received so now he wants to take his music to that other level and get people loving reggae music once more. He believes he has a truckload of songs that will do just that.

"My love for music is strong. It's hard to be away for too long," the singer said. "I can't let the 9-5 get in the way right now. I will be getting a lot of songs out so people can reconnect with Black Ice."

Following on the heels of We're Lovers, Black Ice and Kendall Curlett released a single, I'll Be Home for the Holidays, a reggae Christmas song that enjoyed success on iTunes and other digital platforms like Pandora, and he is mulling rereleasing it every Yuletide season.

Going forward, he plans to remain in the consciousness of reggae music fans everywhere and it starts with his new single, Hotta Fyah, a song about the tribulations currently facing mankind. The song should be ready for release in a couple of weeks as soon as some distribution agreements have been finalised, he said. The single is being released on the singer's Yard Groove Records label and could be distributed by either CD Baby or Zojak Worldwide.

Following the release of Hotta Fyah, Black Ice plans to unleash an avalanche of songs he has been busy producing over the past year. The songs are currently being mastered and could appear on an EP he plans to release later this year. Among them are Distant Voices and Ghetto Child, a one-drop love song called Like I Do, Jah Give I, Black Rain and Give Your Love to Me.