SHOK WAVE is your weekly new REGGAE music blog. SHOK WAVE finds music that is out there in the form of Reggae, Dancehall, Soca, Ska, Dub, Reggae Rock & anything else musical with a Caribbean origin and in any language.
Here is what we found this week.......Enjoy!
REGGAE
The High Reeds "Stand Firm"
The French band sings mostly in English and starts off the album with their title track & first single 'Stand Firm.' This single shows the band's ability to create an original reggae tune with a jazzy intro which gives way to a reggae drum and bass with a soul feeling and a flow between Hip Hop and Dub Poetry.The heavy reggae track 'Right Or Wrong" is a typical anthem for reggae music. The stripped down reggae sounds that start 'Along Your Way' breaks into a full fledged lover's rock tune that will seduce the lover's. 'Stronger Than Lies' is their second single & feel there are much better tunes to choose. Lead Chris sounds great the second vocal from Djo Toussaint doesn't quite hold the vibe. Other than that the song is good and the album is great. What do we all need including our children? 'All We Need' is LOVE!!! 'Under The Storm' incorporates a new sound into the intro and takes it back to straight reggae. The true reggae rock sound comes alive in 'Black Tree' and breaks down into a nyabinghi beat and psychodelic organ. If everyone could plant them a tree like The High Reeds, Earth would be so much better off. The last full song is an acoustic styled stripped down reggae track that is felt much better this way. Lastly, there's a wicked dub of 'Under The Storm.' This band is a true melting pot of African, Corsican and Caribbean roots, So, this group spreads their passion through their music and create a truly multi-cultural union. It goes to show that Europe is putting out the best reggae in a quantitative perspective. Jamaica still puts out the overall best reggae just not in the amount they release in relationship to overall quality.
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