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| Struggling Soldier (Ghetto Circus, 2005) *GUEST REVIEW* Though oddly-named Hawaiian reggae band Ooklah the Moc has two very good previous CDs to their credit, they function more as backup band on this disc. Their chops are put to good use in support of Koko, a ukulele-plucking fellow from the island of Maui who sings a lot like Sugar Minott and centers his songs around such topics as unity, spirituality, trying times, and the joys of ganja. The tempos are in the slow-to-medium range, carrying a relaxed island vibe that could have you believing the cartographers somehow got it wrong and that Jamaica and Hawaii are neighbors. This is one of those discs where the reggae glow sets in gradually as the tracks progress, the production gets more murky and dubwise, the instrumental interplay more subtly intense, the singing and lyrics more committed. Songs like "My Woman," "Style," and the title track get into your bloodstream with combined strengths of sound and content, and by the end of the disc that aforementioned reggae glow is abundantly warm and bright. - Tom Orr |
| Track Listing 1. One Big Family 2. My Woman 3. Ghettoman Tribulation 4. Kali Man 5. Style 6. Rude Boy 7. Love Mi Island So 8. Struggling Soldier 9. Version the Family 10. Woman Woman 11. New Style 12. Guiding Star |
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