Reggae, rock and a civil rights history lesson converge to make “Good Trouble” by American band BOP(harvey) exactly the kind of trouble you’ll want to…
Troubling Times Recalled
Author: Tom Orr
Tom Orr is a California-based writer whose talent and mental stability are of an equally questionable nature. His hobbies include ignoring trends, striking dramatic poses in front of his ever-tolerant wife and watching helplessly as his kids surpass him in all desirable traits.
An Earthly Divine Tribute
Combining Northeast Brazilian roots with the finesse of classical music and an acknowledgement of the mother of the Yoruba pantheon, “Canto de Yemanjá” by Quarteto…
Still a Clear and Present Danger
The good news about “Sida” by France’s Angelo Rascool is that the track is a chant-heavy Africanized reggae grand jam. Sad to say, it’s on…
Dub Us This Day
Long gone are the days when I fancied a homegrown reggae scene in Sweden to be a novel thing. The latest reason to know it’s…
Warm and Cool
If you have an ear for Latin music with both a chill factor and live instrumentation, you can’t go wrong with “Este Vida,” a bit…
Learn Your Lessons Well
With a bit of help from Tarrus Riley, French reggae artist Little Guerrier imparts both wisdom and the need for it with his song “Teach…
Niceness Rules
Hailing unexpectedly from Iceland, a band called Latin Faculty brings a swaying Brazilian vibe to “So Nice,” a song that lives up to a title…
Irie Times Are Here To Stay
Lest anyone be concerned that the re-emergence of roots reggae music hasn’t sufficiently overtaken the previous dominance of dancehall, recent releases from France’s Irie Ites…
How It Feels
Anchored by veteran reggae bassist Fully Fullwood, Dukes of Roots urges one and all to “Feel the Love.” It may not be an easy thing…
Sweet Coco
A traditional rhythm called coco from the Brazilian state of Pernambuco, nimble female voices and a percussion-heavy arrangement all contribute to making “Coco da Cura”…