Maxi Priest

New vogue reggae master makes positive vibes.

If Bob Marley brought reggae fame and fans, Maxi Priest brings romance to its lilting Jamaican rhythms. His voice caresses lyrics like a gentle Caribbean breeze. His songs are full of warm feelings and fun. Priest describes them as "fresh and uplifting." He has become a sex symbol the way Marley became a culture icon. Even his slow hip dance brings naughty ideas to an already converted audience. And when he warns, "Your body can't lie to me" (in "Housecall," raunchy duet with rapper Shabba Ranks)' he sets all women atingle. But the British-born Priest is a little uncomfortable with such carnal responses to his person. "I don't mind being admired," he says, "but beauty is not the cover, it's the book."

He seems to be a vulnerable, gentle person who believes his songs express genuine feelings. "I am not in this business for the glamour," he says. Singing is my way of achieving freedom. When I create new things I am happy." Priest gets just as much out of music as a listener, choosing songs that address the emotion he needs to release. Much of that emotion he needs to release. Much of that emotion he reserves for his four children. Like Marley, he vents his anger against "the system," feeling out of his songs.

Priest has taken a lot of criticism for his pop reggae style. His music is not roots reggae, some say; not irie, Jamaicans will argue. One critic called him a dreadlocked Cat Stevens, and another dismissed his ideas and ambition as narrow. Priest is not fazed in the least. "Yes my stuff is a lit' bit different," he told EMERGE. "What I do is unique. It might be called new vogue reggae, but it's positive."

He was born Maxi Elliot in southeast London but changed Elliot to Priest(which in Hebrew is Levi, the name of Israel's priestly tribe) to reflect his Rastafarian faith. By 1978 Priest was working as a carpenter in London-where he and his four brothers still own a contracting business-using his spare time to fill in as a disc jockey. He began singing at parties and clubs in Brixton and New Cross, where he was spinning records, and soon developed a following. Wellwishers prodded him to cut a record to top the charts in Jamaica. Priest saw that as an indication that his style was acceptable in the home of reggae.

Lately there have been lots of opportunities to savor his smooth, airy voice. Before "Housecall" -which won a 1991 Grammy-was off the charts he had gained new fans with another collaboration, "Set the Night to Music," this time with Roberta Flack.Priest says he likes collaborating with other artists. "I feel new vibes when I feed off the other person." He hopes one day to be paired in song with Anita Baker. Virgin Records, his American label, released The Best of Me, a compilation that was produced as a reference point. It includes "Close to You" -the first reggae pop hit in the U.S.-and other popular songs from his four albums. Charisma has just released his latest album.

Although Priest visits family in Jamaica when he needs quiet time, he says he doesn't like to relax. "I feel I should use my energies to my benefit before I reach 40," he confides, although he won't reveal his age. That's part of his mystique, the romantic in him and one more reason why he is the sexiest reggae singer around.