From Kingston Ontario comes the sound of Kingston Jamaica. Bedouin Soundclash is an all male trio from Canada that is currently drawing a lot of attention in their native home. Their UK debut album Sounding A Mosaic was produced by Bad Brains bassist Darryl Jenifer and comes out on October 10th.
First thing to say is to really enjoy this album you have got to like reggae. It’s the spine that runs through every track. It will be a word you will see often in this review. You can’t escape the fact that this is a Reggae album.
When The Night Feels My Song and Shelter are very reminiscent of The Wailers. The mood alters on Living in the Jungle with organic break beats mixed with reggae style vocals that conjure a fast paced dance hall feel to the track.
Next up is Money Worries-Featuring Vernon Maytone and Marley’s spirit weaves in and out of this reggae classic. Four songs in and I can almost feel the heat from the Caribbean sun. Gyasi Went Home is the undoubted classic on this album. The guitars are speeded up and the rhythm becomes calypso. Definitely one to get your mum on the dance floor. If Sting had reformed The Police then Shadow of a Man would be the type of song you would hope they were creating. Incredibly crafted Ska, with an edge of silk. Each chord has a bitter sweet echo of an era in music long forgotten. A time when the icons of dance halls from Coventry to the Caribbean were alive and well and together.
Jeb Rand is a Folk/Ska sound clash brimming with poetic indignation (What!) with a vocal plucked straight out of Mr. Marley’s repertoire. The album takes a darker turn on Criminal, with a heavy bass and dark, echoing vocals that tip their hat to the traditional West Indies dance floor. This theme is continued in Murder on the Midnight Wire a song about police brutality that sends you deeper and deeper into the darker side to Jamaican culture until the chorus lift you back into the Caribbean sun shine.
If I have one major criticism of the album it is the length. You begin to feel the filler effect on Music My Rock as the beats and melody are reminiscent of previous tracks. Immigrant Workforce has the influence of Sting’s early solo projects and a chance for the vocalist to show the range and richness of his voice. With a simple catchy bass line it skips along to the last track Nothing to Say which is just another filler to me.
Sounding A Mosaic is a strong debut from a band who will guarantee a great show when they tour the UK October/November. I’ll see you all at The Manchester Academy.
