Dr. Boondigga & the Big BW by Fat Freddy's Drop (CD, 2009)

Ais

9421025871047

21050133397

Fat Freddy's Drop

CD

2009

Dr. Boondigga & the Big BW

Electronic

69 mins 7 seconds

Recording information: Lyall Bay, Wellington, Aotearoa, New Zealand. This Maori/Samoan/New Zealander band claims influences as diverse as highlife, Berlin techno, and bhangra, but what their music sounds like most consistently is a strangely modern and soulful version of jazzy reggae. Lead singer Dallas Tamaira (aka Joe Dukie) has an airy, soulful voice that sometimes comes across like a more nimble version of Roland Gift's falsetto, while the band can shift with equal agility between house, dancehall, funk, and one-drop grooves, sometimes within a single track. "The Nod," for example, starts out in a slowly chugging one-drop reggae mode before a lovely trombone solo heralds a segue into a New Orleans second-line funeral jazz interlude; "Big BW," on the other hand, juxtaposes a dark and bumping club groove with light soul-jazz vocals. "Pull the Catch" is straight-up funky dancehall, while "Shiverman" slowly builds a strong house beat beneath a chestier and more robust vocal -- it's a great sound, but at over ten minutes, the song is too long by half. It's hard to understand why the band chose to end the album with the relatively enervated and pedestrian reggae-soul of "Breakthrough," but overall this album is a hoot and a triumph. ~ Rick Anderson

Clash (Magazine) - "They are simply one of the finest reggae and dub outfits on the planet and this, their second CD, cements their reputation even further."

1

USA