This is Ska how it was meant to be – it is in a true Jamaican fashion and they really pull it off well. Personally I love Ska but there are not many bands around these days that play Ska in its original sort of style. Granted – the music does have a Hip Hop influence on some of the tracks but always keeps a laid back, Jamaican feel. They have both male and female vocalists and the two different sounding voices work well together, creating some ultimate skanking anthems.
There are fifteen tunes here and the album clocks in at just over 72 minutes, and despite its massive length it is never dull and is the perfect mix of Ska and Hip Hop which has a blinding horn section, amazing vocals, great keyboard playing and awesome guitars. If you like Ska then you will love this and if you like Hip Hop then you will also love this! Ultimately, if you are a fan of both Ska and Hip Hop then this is going to be the perfect band for you as they pull off both styles with a lot of style and flair! The Hip Hop is blended in to the Ska perfectly so that when the vocal style changes from Ska to Hip Hop it does not stick out like a sore thumb but actually sounds really good.
They have some really cracking tunes that stick in your mind like ‘Clarendon Calling,’ ‘One World,’ ‘Sunset In Calcutta,’ ‘Fix The Future,’ and ‘Sierra.’ I know I have named quite a few tunes here but it is really hard to say what are the best tunes on this album as they are all so good and all stand out as being fine little tracks that have the feel good Ska factor of Ska, yet the smack in the mouth you get from Hip Hop at the same time. It is really good stuff and is well worth listening to. ‘Fix The Future’ is probably my favourite Hip Hop style tune on offer as I just feel that it is a really powerful tune with amazing vocals, a good Ska beat, and just all round excitement and entertainment. They play Ska instrumentally and Hip Hop lyrics in this one and somehow it manages to fit together for them and that just shows how talented they are as a band to be able to get two completely different types of music to work well together and sounds great. They are extremely talented musicians that play great Ska music that makes you feel good about yourself and want to get up and dance – it makes you feel really great to be alive and kicking!
This is definitely one of the best Ska bands that we have in the UK and they really are great at what they do. This Ska / Hip Hop mix really works for me and I am sure that I am not the only one that feels that with the talent which this band possesses, they should be a lot better known than they are as they definitely impressed me in this CD and I am sure that they are totally amazing live as well. In fact, I think that their live set would probably be absolutely blinding and if I ran the universe then it would be compulsory to go and see this band live at every opportunity! If you are a fan of Ska, Reggae, or Hip Hop then definitely check this band out and prepare to be amazed!
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UK based film graduate with a huge passion for music, sports and video games.
