Cañaman – Dub, Weed & Fyah (Boacor)
Reviewed by Sadie O., 11/8/06
Madrid’s top ranking roots rock Reggae band. 1 CD is with vocals – a sort of quavery singing/toasting mix that seems popular in Spain these days – and the second CD is dubs. It’s a different sound with a familiar beat, and there’s a lot of nice meaty riddims and great songs here.
No FCCs, although track 17 on CD 1 may say “nigga” occasionally. Try tracks 3, 8, 15 and 19 on CD 1; 9 and 10 on CD 2.
CD 1:
1. 0:12 twelve seconds of talking (English)
2. 4:23 ***long, rather tuneless intro, midtempo skank with layers of sound.
3. 4:52 ****midtempo dubby skank, vocals in both English and Spanish
4. 4:53 **rootsy and dubby, slightly downtempo one-drop
5. 0:53 midtempo bubble, faint, kind of odd talking in studio.
6. 4:22 **somewhat downtempo skank, dubby, nice love song in English with toast in Spanish.
7. 4:11 ***upbeat intro, somewhat uptempo bass-driven dubby skank, complex singing in Spanish.
8. 3:48 ****midtempo skank, dancehall toast in Spanish, and really nice crazed toast in English by Bongo Kelly
9. 1:07 *pretty acoustic guitar, nyahbinghi drums, a bit of singing.
10. 4:43 *sweet, slightly jazzy midtempo groove, upful lyrics in Spanish.
11. 4:49 **strong midtempo beat, sweet love song in Spanish.
12. 5:48 **long intro, downtempo one-drop, dubby/trance-y.
13. 4:18 ***strong downtempo skank, in French for some reason. Changes beat dead center with Spanish singing, then changes back.
14. 1:06 acoustic guitar strumming and nyahbinghi drums, some buzzes, talking
15. 4:46 ****long rasta chant intro, singing in Spanish and toasting in English, about the joys of pot.
16. 0:24 Spanish talking and funky little riddim.
17. 4:14 ***funky little riddim – a bit uptempo boppy shuffle, mostly in Spanish, but might be saying “nigga move your ass” occasionally – it’s very hard to tell. Since at least half the group is Black, it’s hip hop rather than racist, but use your judgement.
18. 4:39 **sweet and pretty relaxed riddim.
19. 4:00 *****bluesy downtempo groove, VERY stroned sounding song about being stoned, in English. A bit of cover of James Brown’s “I Feel Good”.
20. 3:50 *a few seconds of fingers squeaking on guitar strings, then acoustic guitar and singing in Spanish about Jah love. Ends with quavery singing.
CD 2:
1. 0:12 twelve seconds of talking (English)
2. 4:51 **pretty midtempo skank with prominent syndrum and horns. Steady beat throughout, slows at end.
3. 4:49 ***cool downtempo skank, bit of a mysterious vibe.
4. 3:54 **soulful intro, horns, lots of instruments falling in and out.
5. 4:28 ***dreamy dub with lots of horns, etc. Thick sound.
6. 4:49 **extremely mellow and sweet, bits of vocals.
7. 5:13 ***sparce but assertive, occasional vocals.
8. 5:44 **shakers, then very downtempo nyahbinghi beat, acoustic, switches to midtempo dub with horns after about a minute, still fairly mellow.
9. 4:17 *****terrific slightly downtempo booty-shaker.
10. 4:24 ****long intro, midtempo skank with tons of fun noises.
11. 4:32 ***strong downtempo one-drop, very steady, some fun noises. Long fade.