Maia The Toad – Fever – Press Release

January 6, 2024

Press Release: Classic Peggy Lee track ‘Fever’ gets a brand-new update with some inspired Reggae reworking.

Emerging artist Maia The Toad has returned to Reggae for her latest release. However, she’s not taking the shift lightly – as she’s chosen to cover one of the most recognisable tracks of all time, with a classic Reggae reworking.

Fever, released via RuffCompany Records, sees this accomplished singer/songwriter return to Reggae for the first time since her 2019 track Planet Jam, taken from her Nebular album. This version of the song is based around the classic Horace Andy interpretation from 1972 – but with some interesting twists.

Fever sees producer Errol “General Smiley” Bennett come on board. Best known as General Smiley of Papa Michigan, Bennett is renowned with the duo for classic cuts like Nice Up The Dance and Rub A Dub Style, both out of the legendary Studio One. So, taking the Andy/Studio One Fever riddim as a base for Maia The Toad’s interpretation seems fateful:

“Who would have thought an artist could equal Horace Andy’s classic interpretation? However, here Maia The Toad has pulled it off. Taking Andy’s Reggae sensibilities as a base, her and Errol Bennett have moved the sound forward, bringing a freshness to proceedings. But it’s Maia’s sultry vocals, inspired by Peggy Lee’s version, which really make this Fever a standout” – Mr Topple, Pauzeradio

Maia is the daughter of two musicians. Her mother is the bass player, and her father is the guitar player, for their band Planet Jam – currently playing on the local Nevada County, Grass Valley, and North San Juan Reggae scenes in Northern California.

She recently graduated from MI College of Contemporary Music and is already making waves in the industry – currently putting her own band together, playing rock music out of Southern California:

Meanwhile, the track is already getting press attention. Maia told Caribbean Today that:

“My big goal was to make both Peggy Lee fans and Reggae people from all over the world share a positive experience together when listening to the song. I tried to maintain as many elements from the original as possible by trying to replicate Peggy Lee’s velvety vocals, while adding a little more Dancehall for the Reggae lovers”.

Maia’s vocals here are sublime. She invokes the Lee version with a restrained yet expressive performance, where the mantra is definitely ‘less is more’. Maia oozes the sensuality of Lee’s original, while bringing pleasing riffs to the fore and some excellent use of delicate dynamics to add interest – plus she has all the wind of a seasoned Reggae artist, too.

She told the Jamaica Observer that working with Bennett was great:

“He knew exactly what he wanted, and I am just honoured that part of his vision was to have me on the track. I already knew the song as the legendary Peggy Lee’s version and was more than excited to try revamping it in a new way, because it is such an iconic song from an iconic artiste”.

Overall, Fever is a brilliant take on two different interpretations of the same track – finding a middle ground between the styles, with Maia’s impressive vocal being a thing of beauty.

You can stream or download Fever on iTunes here and Amazon here.

Fever credits:
Producer: Errol “General Smiley” Bennett for RuffCompany Records.
Writers: Eddie Cooley and Otis Blackwell.
Backing vocals: Althea Hewitt.
Horns: Dean Frazier.
Mixing: Carson McPullish in Austin, Texas.
Recording: Planet Jam Studios, Northern California.