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So Much More (Benchwarrant, 2001) "So much more" indeed. There is so much more music packed into this album than most other reggae efforts you'll hear, you may be taken aback initially. You not only get every major style of reggae -- roots, lovers rock, dub, dancehall, ska -- but you also get rock, pop, jazz, and avant-garde electronica/New Wave/cat fetish music. Some of this melding of styles works better than others, and a large part of its appeal will likely depend on how much you, as a reggae fan, enjoy chocolate in your peanut butter, as the case may be. I generally enjoy a unique sound, but I still prefer things to stay within the confines of traditional reggae, so lounge music like "Too Far" and the overtly rock guitars on "Between a Rock and a Hard Place," "Cowboy," and "Love of My Life" are wasted on me. Still, you have to hand it to the New York-based group The Motives Project; they have an uncompromising, quirky sound that will help them stand out from the pack. Part of that quirkiness is their dark sense of humor, epitomized by "Cat" -- in which the lyrics are sung from the viewpoint of a feline -- and "Better Off Dead" -- sung by someone considering various ways to kill herself. As with many "jokey" songs, however, these tunes have a relatively short shelf life. The humor on So Much More, a bit similar to that of The Toyes, can actually be a bit distracting, as on "Better Off Dead," where the silly lyrics overshadow the funky roots riddim. Maybe it's just me, but I also get distracted when a reggae singer sounds American. I don't know if I recommend faking a Jamaican patois or not, but at times the vocals here -- sung by a male singer, Milo, and a female singer, Rebecca -- sound just a bit too "white bread" for my taste. Despite its drawbacks, So Much More has its share of strong tunes. The group seems to be at its best and at its most comfortable when performing ska, as on "Time My Love" and "Someone Else," but they're also quite proficient at good ol' fashioned roots like the Marley-esque "Chicken" and even I have to admit liking the non-traditional funk/R&B sound of the "Cowboy" remix and the old school electronica sound of "Catch Them." |
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