“How We Ride” is the dancehall-rock follow up to the Billboard charting song “Click Mi Finger” Erup recorded on Truckback’s Gearbox Riddim which was a ground breaking project in its own right.
This time, Truckback is again breaking barriers as “How We Ride” takes a new turn for dancehall, and Jamaican music in general, with straight ahead rock guitar lines going toe to toe with Erup’s signature laid back dancehall lyrics and Truckback’s driving drum and bass. Reminiscent of the fuzz guitar FX from 70s psychedelic rock bands, “How We Ride” crosses time and musical genres to create a new sound for a new generation of music fans.
“”How We Ride” is featured on the Greensleeves Records release, Ragga Ragga Ragga 2010.
Don’t let the title fool you. Sarah Brindell’s sophomore studio album, Dreaming Shoes, is not an REM-inducing record. Dreaming Shoes about going places you have never been. Intimate and adventurous, the album is constantly growing, evolving out of soul, folk, pop and jazz and infused with critical elements of Brazilian and Caribbean rhythms. Packed with individual talent—Mauricio Zottarelli (Hiromi, Esperanza Spaulding), Yaure Muniz, (Buena Vista Social Club), Nate Edgar and Mike Keenan (John Brown’s Body) as well as Aaron Bellamy and Amy Bowls (Sam Kininger Band)—Dreaming Shoes maintains its cohesiveness throughout, refusing to lean in any one direction or on any one musician. Brindell, whose previous efforts have been cooed over from east coast (the “newly minted diva of funk, pop and jazz” – Boston Globe) to west (“simply mesmerizing” – Time Out San Francisco), says, “I approached Dreaming Shoes differently because I wanted the artists to play to the song, not for their own chops”.
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The strength of Dreaming Shoes is not in the music alone. Brindell’s honey sweet voice is perhaps eclipsed only by her razor sharp song writing. The honest, emotive reflection of the opening track, Dandelion…growing where you’re never planted anyhow/ Somebody come and pull your roots out of the ground?/Wish that I could help you now Dandelion/You never quite fit in but you’re still tryin’ is juxtaposed by the alternately playful (“Truth“) and tragic (“Workaholic“). Dreaming Shoes also pays tribute to the foundation (a unique lyrical response to Duke Ellington’s “Sophisticated Lady“) and the innovative (a fresh Brazilian jazz cut of Sting’s “Message In A Bottle“). In “Little Sunflower“, Brindell’s seductive vocal and keyboard harmonies are joined with Yaure Muniz on flugelhorn, Maurico‘s percussion, Amy Bowls on organ and a funky guitar solo by Jeff Lockhart, in a wonderful display of simultaneous artistic exploration and group solidarity.
Following the bright, salsero-style guitar arrangement on “Pillow“, Brindell puts a dreamy final touch on the album with “4 AM Blues“, the same song from which she took the title (4AM blues/ Sandman’s gone away/ He took your dreaming shoes, and led your mind astray)-a fitting finale for a record that stimulates reflection through its musical texture, compelling storytelling and palpable soul. From solid Caribbean roots about to burst at the seams, to wide open Latin riffs and raw bluesy vocals, Dreaming Shoes is an inspired journey from beginning to, well, one that you just don’t want to end. Indeed, the album is a dream to listen to, and proves they do come true.
Greensleeves Records latest installment of the Ragga Ragga Ragga series, the 2010 edition, includes Truckback Records hits from Erup, “How We Ride”, and I-Octane, “Lose A Friend”.
Combining funk, rock and soul, conscious Jamaican artist Perfect is ready to take on the pop scene with “Forget Everything” (Tiger Records/Chalice Palace).
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Jamaican vocalist, Perfect, an artist best known for chanting down Babylon-and winning- is taking up a new challenge, this time a unique R&B approach to alt rock. “Forget Everything“, the lead single off his new album, French Connection (Tiger Records/ Chalice Palace), features his clever lyricism vibing to a combined healthy dose of raw bohemian energy a la Red Hot Chili Peppers and a laid back universal feel popularized by Michael Franti. A seasoned songwriter with a string of modern roots rocking reggae hits already in the bag (“30 Pieces”, “No Badda Mi”, “Lovebird”, “HandcartBoy“) and numerous albums that speak to the grittiness of everyday life, for Perfect, “Forget Everything” represents a wonderfully catchy perspective on alt rock in any language. A straight ahead funk rock ballad, “Forget Everything” is made all the more listenable by Perfect’s raw bluesy vocals and Tiger Record’s funky riddim track.
Back in 1994, Steely & Cleevie never imaged Macka Diamond, Capleton, Mr. Vegas, Richie Feelings or Elephant Man would voice on their early 90s dancehall hit riddim set, The Frog Riddim (with Spragga’s “Say A Prayer” leading the way) . But in 2010, Truckback makes it all possible with their tribute to heydey of 90s dancehall music. It’s called the Steel Frog.
Monsoon’s follow up to the international roots reggae anthem “As Salaam Alaikum”. With a confident voice, catchy hooks and a dubwise riddim to ride on, “Keep On Loving You” holds a modern day lovers reggae vibe from beginning to end.
At the controls of a potent dancefloor experience that draws from reggae dancehall, hip hop and the synthy beats of urban electro, Green Lion is a sonic craftsman at home both on the decks and in the studio. Honed in the heated atmosphere of sound system culture, all Green Lion productions–on record, over the air or live and direct–are energetic affairs designed to set bodies in motion.
A steady schedule of reggae dancehall mixtape productions over the years, with special R&B and hip hop projects placed in between, allowed Green Lion to perfect the art of capturing a live vibe in the production process. The initial echoes are heard on countless custom songs from Mavado to Bunny Wailer, called dubplates in Jamaican pop culture, many of which Green Lion personally recorded and are featured on all Green Lion mixtapes. The foundation of the Green Lion sound–testing the relationships between hardore hip hop, deep soul and dancehall–can be heard in particular on exclusive mixtapes featuring Toussaint (2007) and Mr Williamz (2010).
Green Lion’s debut studio release, “Come Down” performed by Billboard charting artist Collie Buddz, relies on a subtle mix of RnB, hip hop and reggae. Released as a single in 2009, “Come Down” became a darling of the reggae and underground hip hop scene, featured on 50 Cent’s website, ThisIs50.com, and added to Collie’s massively popular Playback EP.
An extension of the We Run England mixtape with Mr Williamz, Green Lion’s debut commercial project, the More Spiritual Riddim, was released to critical acclaim in 2012. Based on an updated version of Henry Junjo Lawes’ Ganja Smuggling (1981), the first single from the riddim, “We Run England” performed by Mr Williamz, was tagged as “a future classic” (Music Is My Sanctuary) as well as “brilliant… playful, genuinely funny and most important of all musically dynamite too” (musiclikedirt). Click here to preview all the tunes on the riddim from Million Stylez (watch the official music video), Kabaka Pyramid, YT and Perfect as well as Mr Williamz. (more…)
“How We Ride” is the dancehall-rock follow up to the Billboard charting song “Click Mi Finger” Erup recorded on Truckback’s Gearbox Riddim which was a ground breaking project in its own right.
