Following his standout performance at the Official Celebration of Life for Jimmy Cliff, held recently at the National Indoor Sports Centre in Kingston, Richie Stephens has officially released a studio cover of Cliff’s song “Trapped,” which debuted today.
‘Trapped’ was a go-to song for Stephens more than four decades ago when he launched his career on the hotel north coast circuit.
“I started my career in 1982 when I left school,” Stephens recalled. “About 1984, ‘Trapped’ was released by Mr. Bruce Springsteen. The song quickly became more than just a crowd-pleaser for me when I performed on the hotel circuit,” Stephens shared.
“After learning and singing the song, it became my go-to song when I needed a forward or needed to hear the crowd scream or get a standing ovation,” he said. “I would say ‘Trapped’ is the song that solidified me as a bonafide singer.”
Stephens said his bond with the song only deepened over time.
“People used to tell me I have the perfect vocals to deliver ‘Trapped.’ I have always enjoyed singing it,” he shared. “And because the song had so much energy; the way I delivered it was incredible. I just loved it ever since and have now made it my own.”
While many fans associate ‘Trapped’ primarily with Bruce Springsteen’s iconic rock rendition, Stephens is keen to highlight its deeper roots.
“One of the reasons why the song was so successful is that it was on the iconic We Are the World album, which features so many pop icons and the biggest artists in the world, including the King of Pop, Michael Jackson,” Stephens shared.
‘Trapped’ achieved significant commercial success, reaching #1 on the Billboard Top Rock Tracks chart in 1985. The We Are the World benefit album reportedly sold millions of copies and won several Grammy Awards.
In reimagining the iconic track, Richie said he was deliberate about preserving its essence.
“The way Bruce Springsteen covered the song as a rock star, he incorporated the rock element and made it into such a big song,” he said. “So even though I gave it the Jamaican flavor to make it into a reggae song, I wanted to maintain the same hard-hitting rock approach. I kept some of the iconic melodies in the rhythm, such as the part at the beginning,” he explained. “We also kept the heavy guitar to give it the roots, rock, reggae flavor.”
Producing the track at the legendary Tuff Gong Studios in Kingston, Stephens said he made careful musical choices.
“Choosing Tuff Gong Studio was symbolic as well as sonic. It does not get more legendary than Bob Marley, the King of Reggae. This was where he recorded music for many years. The legacy of Marley will live forever,” he said.
“Tuff Gong is also one of the best-sounding studios anywhere in the world for reggae music, and the engineers there are very experienced.”
For the ‘Trapped’ project, Richie brought together an all-star lineup of Jamaican heavyweights, including Kirk Bennett on drums; Welch on bass; Dean ‘Cannon’ Fraser and his crew on horns; Othniel Lewis on keyboard; Con on rhythm guitar; and overdub musicians like Monty on guitar, who performed a solo on the track, Stephens detailed.
He also highlighted the strength of the background vocals and the production team.
“You have the great Tammi T (Tamekia Moncrieffe-Whittaker), who sang with Jimmy Cliff, and her brother Clive on background vocals. We also have the great Marvin Jackson, ‘Waco,’ who helped to record the song, and Roland, the master engineer who recorded and mixed the track.”
With ‘Trapped,’ Stephens delivers more than a cover. The song is a personal statement that honors the song’s legacy. It is both a return and a reaffirmation. As Richie puts it, “‘Trapped’ is a song that defines Jimmy Cliff’s legacy then and now.”
