Joy + Fire

3Canal – Joy + Fire
Reviewed by Sadie O., 1/30/09
The latest from the purveyors of Trinidadian “Rapso” (Rap/Calypso). They remain committed to socio-political inquiry lyrically, and their years of leading a Carnival crew shows in the tendency to fairly long jams, not to mention lots of rhythm. They seem to have also developed an interest in crickets.
No FCCs detected. I like 2, 5, 10, and esp. 8 best.
1. 4:24 **downtempo hip wiggler with lots of percussion, sociopolitical commentary. Great Carnival percussion break midway through.
2. 6:16 ***minimalist percussion and handclaps, building into midtempo funky modern calypso groove, call and response vocals. Economic disparity diatribe. LONG fade at end.
3. 4:55 *deep, slow drums, snaky groove, into very mellow island vibe. Sweet singing, praise of former heroes. LONG fade.
4. 4:32 **midtempo Carnival percussion, festive feel. Whistling break. Puro party, baby!
5. 3:52 ***syncopated rock groove, fun upspeed rap re: information frigging up the nation. Anything involving frigging is ok by me!
6. 5:33 **lo-fi (but not really) bouncy swing. Nice percussion at end.
7. 6:24 **piano and shakers intro, very pretty baritone vocals, rather religious lyrics. Cool bass. Dubby/psychedelic for last minute.
8. 7:29 ****lo-fi downtempo hard rock and twangy guitars, into danceable swing, building in energy. Fun! Turns into either a psychedelic jam or vodou ritual for last couple of minutes.
9. 8:25 **cricket fade-in (and why not?), spacey shamanistic stuff for almost a minute, diatribe about loss of nature, jazzy bass. Beat shifts into more rolling feel midway along – trance roots.
10. 6:55 ***cool downtempo funky handdrum bounce, introspective sociopolitical lyrics. Mellow vibe, sweet vocals and guitar.
11. 6:38 *very mellow keyboard & percussion intro. Pretty and soulful spiritual fading in and out, with lovely percussion throughout.
12. 3:42 **midtempo bounce with feeling of latent energy. Great work from the band, psychological distress lyrics.