Where do you go when circumstances cause you to leave the band you founded, financed and fronted for three decades?

For Ali Campbell, the former face of global reggae superstars UB40, the answer is simple—you go around the world with your new band, record lots of fresh new music, and eventually bring the boys to Hawaii.

“;When I left UB40, one of the promises I made—to meself more than anything—was that I was going to take my new band, the Dep Band, everywhere that UB40 had been,”; Campbell said last Tuesday, chatting on the phone in a London hotel room after a long day of rehearsals.

Campbell and his band conclude a three-island Hawaii tour Sunday at Aloha Tower. Along with tonight's Big Island concert and a show on Maui tomorrow, the Hawaii performances are part of a much larger tour schedule that includes dates in Dubai, India, Germany, Panama, Curacao, Belgium, French Guiana, Switzerland, Morocco, Hungary, South Africa and a few concerts back home in the UK as well.

For all that, Campbell said coming to Hawaii is something special.

“;A lot of the band haven't been to Hawaii before so I'm happy for them as well because it's a big deal, you know, for us English fellows, to get to Hawaii,”; he said. “;I've told them all about how beautiful Maui is and how we had great times there, so they're all looking forward to it.”;

CAMPBELL ANNOUNCED his departure from UB40 in early 2008, citing conflicts within the group and questions about the handling of his business affairs by the group's management as causes of the split. A second member of the group, keyboardist Michael Virtue, left shortly after Campbell and subsequently joined the Dep Band.

“;It was daunting at first, you know, the thought of starting again and getting a new band together,”; Campbell recalled. “;It was terrifying, but it actually came together really delightfully easily.

“;These guys, they're not self-taught musicians like we all were in UB40. They're all seasoned session players and have played reggae with most people in the reggae circles. It's a joy for me to work with them ... and I'm getting the best reviews I've ever had.”;

The reviews have inspired him to start “;touring properly.”;

“;Up till now I'd made two albums in two years, and made two DVD films, but we'd only been playing here and there. This year and next year I'm going to be all over the world.”;

Campbell is already “;all over the world”; as a recording artist. “;Visions,”; a cut on his current album, “;Flying High,”; was recorded with the Soweto Gospel Choir, Danny K and the Soweto Drum Cafe—and, as a result of that exposure he'll be performing at the World Cup later this year in South Africa.

He is also working on another solo album, “;Rhythm Method,”; and a project with Jamaican reggae legends Sly & Robbie that he described as being like UB40's breakthrough album, “;Labour of Love,”; but said “;it's not reggae songs we're covering but great British songs written by (groups like) the Beatles.”;

As if that's not enough, Campbell also contributed a reworked arrangement of “;Purple Rain”; for an upcoming Fun Lovin' Criminals compilation album titled “;Purple Reggae.”;

“;(”;Purple Rain”;) doesn't sound like an obvious choice for reggae cover but it is wicked,”; he said. “;The point being that anything to do with Prince—his publishing is a nightmare, as you remember, he was a slave—so the record is going to take about six months to sort out the publishing (but) when that gets sorted then it will get released.”;

FANS KNOW that remakes of pop hits served Campbell and his old group very well in the United States. UB40's remake of Elvis' “;Can't Help Falling In Love”; topped the Billboard Hot 100 for seven weeks in 1993 and was certified platinum. “;The Way You Do The Things You Do”; peaked at No. 6 but was still certified gold.

The group's reggae version of an obscure Neil Diamond song that stalled at No. 62 when Diamond released it as a single in 1968—and was subsequently recorded by several other arts—became UB40's first gold single in the United States and been its musical signature for more than 20 years.

“;Now Neil Diamond goes out on tour and he does it reggae-style,”; Campbell said. “;I think that's really cool.”;

And so, seeing as how UB40's recording of “;Red Red Wine”; made quite a bit of money in composer's royalties for Diamond, how often has Campbell heard from him?

“;I never heard from him at all,”; Campbell replied with a chuckle. “;(The song) was No. 1 in England and all over the world for 1983, and then it went to No. 1 in America five years later, so it had a double life, that single, and that was back in the days when we could ship millions of units.

“;He could have sent me a box of chocolates.”;