For more than five decades, Clive Hunt has been one of the musicians working behind some of Jamaica’s most important recordings. Now, at 74, the veteran producer, arranger and multi-instrumentalist is putting his own voice at the centre of the music.
Hunt has released Undeniably Clive Hunt aka Lizzard, an 11-track roots-reggae album that brings a different dimension of his career into focus: Hunt the recording artist.
The project became available across major streaming platforms on August 14, according to recent reporting, and represents a significant step for a musician whose reputation was built largely through production, arranging and instrumental work for other artists.
A different chapter for a veteran musician
Hunt’s career stretches back to his professional recording work in 1972. Over the decades, his credits have connected him with artists including Jimmy Cliff, Dennis Brown, Peter Tosh, Beres Hammond, Grace Jones, Chaka Khan, Alpha Blondy, The Skatalites, The Abyssinians, Maxi Priest and others. He also worked with the Rolling Stones during his international career.
That history makes Undeniably Clive Hunt aka Lizzard more than another album release.
It is an opportunity for Hunt to move from the role of architect to storyteller.
The album features songs including “Earth Run Dry,” “Jamaican Party,” “Di Valley,” “Good To Be There,” “No Peace,” “Victory,” “Satta I” and “Mango Walk.” The project closes with a remix of “Earth Run Dry” featuring French reggae artist Yaniss Odua.
Hunt wrote or co-wrote the material, with the exception of “Waves of War,” his interpretation of a song associated with influential Jamaican singer and songwriter Joe Higgs.
Reggae as message
The album’s significance is not simply in Hunt finally stepping forward as a vocalist. It also reflects the veteran musician’s continued belief in reggae as a vehicle for commentary.
Hunt has described the project as “a roots reggae album with a twist,” while stressing the importance of substance within the music.
That philosophy is particularly relevant at a time when conversations around reggae frequently return to the genre’s historical role as a vehicle for social observation, cultural identity and resistance.
For Hunt, the message remains central.
The songs on Undeniably Clive Hunt aka Lizzard therefore arrive with the perspective of someone who has spent decades watching Jamaican music evolve from inside the studio.
A legacy that extends beyond one album
Hunt’s contribution to Jamaican music cannot be separated from the artists and recordings he helped shape.
His work has been connected to landmark recordings associated with The Abyssinians’ “Satta Massagana,” Jimmy Cliff’s “I Can See Clearly Now,” Beres Hammond’s “Putting Up Resistance” and Dawn Penn’s “You Don’t Love Me (No, No, No).” Dennis Brown famously referred to Hunt as “The Jamaican Quincy Jones,” reflecting the breadth of his work as a musician, arranger and producer.
That legacy also continued into Hunt’s more recent work.
His Fields of Gold: A Reggae Tribute to Sting project received Grammy consideration during the 2026 Grammy cycle. The project brought together reggae artists including Third World, Steel Pulse, Maxi Priest, The Skatalites and Big Youth for reggae interpretations of songs from Sting and The Police’s catalogue.
Still creating
Hunt’s latest chapter is also notable because he continues to work despite being visually impaired.
Recent reporting says he has performed songs from the new album in Cologne, Germany, and has another German music tour planned. His continued activity reinforces something that has been evident throughout his career: Hunt has never regarded age as a reason to stop creating.
Undeniably Clive Hunt aka Lizzard is consequently not simply a late-career vocal debut.
It is the latest expression of a musician who has spent more than 50 years helping other voices find their sound and has now decided to place his own voice at the front.
For Jamaican music, that makes the album worth listening to not only as a new release, but as another chapter in the story of one of the country’s enduring musical craftsmen.
