Riff Raff and Kateri Farrell unveil reggae single Take My Time

Grammy-winning Jamaican producer and keyboardist Llamar "Riff Raff" Brown has linked up with American singer and flautist Kateri Farrell on a new recording titled Take My Time. The single arrived on July 3 on Riff Raff/Dubshot Records.

Brown's résumé includes production and keyboard work on landmark reggae albums such as Damian Marley's Stony Hill and Morgan Heritage's Strictly Roots. He has also produced or co-produced tracks including Busy Signal's Text Message, Kevin Downswell's Carry Me (Reggae Remix), and Christopher Martin's Guaranteed.

Take My Time begins with Farrell's flute before her warm vocals take centre stage. The song addresses the pull to hurry choices, chase feelings, and demand results before they are ready, while encouraging listeners to slow down, have faith in the process, and keep a steady pace through life.

In a weekend interview with the Jamaica Observer, Brown traced how the partnership started. "I invited her to play flute on some tracks that I had produced for other artistes, and I realised that she could sing, and so we decided to make a few songs," he said, describing the workflow with Farrell as uncomplicated.

"It was pretty easy working with Kateri. Despite not having a ton of releases, her being a trained and skilled musician makes things a bit smoother in terms of translation of ideas," he said.

Farrell spoke warmly of the sessions as well. "Working with Riff Raff has been an incredibly rewarding experience. His unique insight and keen attention to detail made the process very easy and exciting. We work well together." said Kateri.

She also explained what shaped the lyrics. "This song was written during a major transition in my life where I was navigating some big changes. I've always been someone who needs to take my time when making decisions, so this song, and chorus especially, has become an anthem for me as I come to a place of peace and acceptance with this. I hope this song serves as a reminder to others to trust the journey, give yourself grace, and embrace the freedom to move through life at your own pace," said Kateri who has toured as a vocalist and flautist with the likes of Stephen and Damian "Jr Gong" Marley.

The project is Farrell's first time recording with a Jamaican producer. The Minneapolis-raised artist said Bob Marley's message first drew her to reggae. "The message of Bob Marley was my initial draw to reggae. I've always been pulled to groove-based, soulful rhythms from genres like Motown, jazz, funk and soul, and became fully immersed in reggae when I joined Stephen Marley's band. I fell in love with the soulful phrasings and passion of reggae vocals so writing over reggae rhythms feels very natural for me," she shared.