A local dub poet is making waves that have already extended beyond Bermuda's shores with the release of his first CD.

Artist Ras Mykkal stepped into the spotlight previously with his two singles, "Three Blind Mice'' and "Rude Boy Inna de House'' before releasing his full length CD "Bermuda's First Governor'' last month.

Ras Mykkal, who is a photographer for The Royal Gazette and the Mid-Ocean News , said he has received many positive comments about the political and social commentary contained in his music.

And so far, record sales for the locally-produced album have been excellent -- with one store reporting that the CDs were "selling like hotcakes''.

Dub City has sold about 150 of the 200 CDs they have in stock, and Music World has sold 100 CDs and ordered 50 more.

Ras Mykkal sold 150 himself and True Reflections was stocked with 100 CDs which were "selling well''.

Although he has received requests from at least one music store in the US looking to sell the CD, he said he is not prepared to branch out into the foreign market yet -- although the album has received publicity elsewhere.

A visitor to the Island, who works at Citrus FM in Florida, apparently took a liking to the album and has been playing the politically-inspired tunes.

And Ras said Jamaican dub poet Mutabaruka -- who performed here last month with Ras as the opening act -- was looking to have him on his radio show "The Cutting Edge'' on IRIE FM.

"Opening for Mutabaruka was the biggest show I've done to date -- it was the strongest and most confident I've felt in all my performances,'' he said.

"Opening for Third World was good, but I was a little uncomfortable because it was the day after the election and the material felt old,'' he added.

While still attempting to adjust to seeing his own work on the shelves, Ras said he is working on his next single, expected to be performed at the January 4 holiday honouring the PLP's election victory.

"The more I perform, the better I feel...I don't practice as much as I should, but that's because I'm a photographer for a living, not a recording artist,'' he added with a smile.

DUB DEBUT -- The cover for local dub poet Ras Mykkal's inaugural CD release.