Right now, things are going good for Abdel Wright. His brand of raw, rootsy reggae-folk is making waves on both sides of the Atlantic. His eponymous debut album has been critically acclaimed. Bono has called him "the most important Jamaican artist since Marley" - and we're assuming he means Bob, not Ziggy. But things haven't always gone so smoothly for the dreadlocked singer-songwriter.

Taken from his mentally ill, single mother at nine months old, Wright's childhood was spent in orphanages. As an adult, he was homeless and turned to petty crime. In 1996, he was caught with a firearm by police in Jamaica and had his own gun turned on him. He calls it the time he was "supposed to die". The intervention of another police officer saved Wright from being shot; instead he served a five-year jail term. It was in prison that he began to write the music that would bring him salvation. After his release from jail, he began performing his songs in Kingston and beyond. The raw energy and angry lyrics of his acoustic set were enough to convince Dave Stewart (him from the Eurythmics) to produce his first album. The follow-up is eagerly awaited.