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Yakayo (Damp, 2007) This album's Loony Tunes-y cover art is a double-edged sword; good in that it draws your eye, but bad in that it might adversely misrepresent the content as some sort of kiddie music. Nothing could be further from the truth, though; this is "grown folks" music, and any kids listening to it would be immeasurably more hip than I was at their age. There are a few bubbly tunes on Yakayo, Swiss band Jah Man Gang's full-length debut, but most of it is slinky, swaying roots, and even the up-tempo tracks feature lyrics more somber than the music would indicate, as on ska tracks like the righteous "Trodding On" and "4 All," a true sufferers' tune that questions the powers that be:
Jah Man Gang has a great full-band sound (being a gang and all), complete with a horn section and female background singers, which they put to excellent use on both exuberant ska scorchers (about 4 or 5 in all) and down-tempo grooves. Only a couple of tunes -- "Are You Ready" and the nursery rhyme-ish "Anytime" -- even approach the overly bright pop style implied by the album cover. More typical are songs like the darker, electric guitar-kissed "Put Down di Gun," the funky, regal roots of "Du Soleil Dans Nos Coeurs" (the only non-English track), the potent dancehall-skewed "Them a Crazy," the thick, chanting roots of "Too Much Cry," and "Rock On" a dubby trip worth of Lee Perry. You may not get much of a chance to hear Jah Man Gang outside of Europe, but it's definitely worth the effort to track down a copy of Yakayo. Check out jahmangang.com. |
| Track Listing 1. Trodding On 2. Put Down di Gun 3. Jah Praise 4. 4 All 5. Du Soleil Dans Nos Coeurs 6. Love your Mum featuring Ras Makonnen 7. Too Much Cry featuring Jahwell 8. Anytime 9. Oh Gal 10. All Right 11. Babylon 12. Natty Dread featuring Jahwell and Ras Makonnen 13. Rock On 14. Are You Ready 15. Them a Crazy featuring Sista Marina and Jahwell 16. Yakayo |
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