collective, I felt compelled to share my favorite albums annually. This past year of music has been one of the most enjoyable and exciting I
have ever experienced! Below
are the EPs and studio albums that were in constant rotation for me in 2016.
This 5 song EP from Matisyahu is his
first official studio release since 2014. Two songs of which were released on
his Dreampatron/dedicated fan club as rewards for their patronage. He also
released 2 inspirational singles aside from the EP, "Love Born" and
"Storm Tossed" with the latter east coast jam band
Twiddle. The new direction Matisyahu has
chosen to go is reflected in his lyrics and very much in his live performances.
As soulful and energetic, as always, but allowing a creative freedom that is
unlike anything I have ever seen from him since his very successful career. It
only gets me more excited to see his upcoming releases when I see the different
collaborations with artists I am not familiar with; like the band
Salt Cathedral, Colombian pop duo,
featured on the final track on the EP, "Carry Me." He also appears in
true Matisyahu form on the very catchy and beat based Salt Cathedral single, "Unraveling."
All the songs from "Release the Bound" EP and the aforementioned tracks on this
post "Love Born," "Storm Tossed," "Unraveling,"
are very exciting to listen to and I would strongly encourage anyone to check
out the new music and a live show given the opportunity! Key tracks: Carry Me,
Shade from the Sun, Crash Landings
The man, the myth, the legend, EN Young, is an amazing and inspiring
individual! He runs
Roots Musician
record label, produces/engineers/mixes at his own
Imperial Sound Recording
studio, and plays live keyboards and melodica with such bands Stranger, Tribal
Seeds, and the Imperial Sound Band. He continued to amaze when he announced
that he was releasing a solo album, "Call on Me," just a year after
his very successful solo album "Live, Love, Stay Up!" I saw him in Phoenix in March 2016 and
had a chance to catch up with him after the show. When he told me about the new
album I was in complete awe! I thought, "This man has been touring
steadily the past several years, just dropped an album in 2015 and he's telling
me that he is releasing
another, his 3rd solo effort, just barely a year
afterwards? WOW!" The new album "Call on Me" is different than
any of his previous releases. While several songs are roots reggae he gives way
to other means and genres to communicate his messages of love, unity and
positivity. Like the EDM inspired "Just Be," along with a piano
interlude, a song of just him playing
a
mix of signature melodica tracks, a live version of "Don't Burn Your
Bridges" from his debut album "Luck and Chance No More," and
even a humorous skit! Key tracks: Call on Me, Interlude, Cooyah Raggamuffin
This project was something I stumbled
upon in late 2015 when I unknowingly discovered a track on their
Soundcloud page. Once
realizing it was a project with Rebelution singer/guitarist Eric Rachmany and
AmpLive from the hip-hop group
Zion I
(as well as a producer for countless remixes the likes of Linkin Park,
Radiohead, MGMT, Rebelution, among others), I could not believe I had not heard
of it! The collaboration came somewhere during soundchecks and late night jams
while touring together in their respective groups as far back as 2009. It
wasn't until 2014 when they finally had a chance to get into Eric's home studio
with some intentional focus and less distractions surrounding them. The overall
sound has an underlying reggae influence with Eric's catchy guitar solos and
memorable choruses, but the contrast of heavy bass beats and thick synthesizers
gives it the full effect. “
We’re two
separate cars, but we’re going the same direction,” Amp Live says about Unified Highway. “
We come from opposite worlds, but this highway—the
music—brings us together. Hopefully, it makes everyone feel the way we do.”
I have still yet to see a Unified
Highway concert, and because of it being a
"project," I'm afraid I'll have to wait a while longer. It's ok
though, they're holding fans over with a remix album as well as a cover of Aaliyah's
"Are You That Somebody." I honestly can't wait to hear more of this
dynamic duo and their all-star reinterpretations and guest appearances. Key
tracks: My Space, Losing My Religion, Same Thing Coming
4) Katastro - Strange Nights
Katastro is a 4 piece Tempe,
AZ based band hard to categorize.
These reggae, alternative, rock, funk, blues, hip-hop originals have been
around since 2008. They deliver a sound that has landed them on stage with
bands like Dirty Heads, The Expendables, Ballyhoo!, and Pepper. The latter of
which signed Katastro to their own
Law
Records after falling in love with the sound. Pepper's singer/guitarist,
Kaleo Wassman, helped produce "Strange Nights" at their Kona Inn
Recording Studio in Redondo Beach,
CA and the end result was nothing
short of sensational! "Waste the Night" even features an appearance
from Dirty Heads singer/MC Jared Watson! Katastro bassist Ryan Weddle says, "
When we first started writing (Waste the
Night)
we immediately thought of somehow
trying to get Jared on the track. We are really grateful of him, The Dirty
Heads and Cheez (Dirty Heads and Sublime with Rome's manager)
for helping us out so much throughout our career!" Each track
on "Strange Nights" is strong enough to be released as a single in
their own regard and as their first release on a signed label it is a very
strong statement from such a young group! Ryan continued, "
It's really
great to see fans at our shows that we haven't seen in years come up and tell
us that they dig the new music! It's always our goal to put something out that
is true to our progress as a band but we also still want it to be [something]
the people that have been supporting us since the early days [can relate to]."
Once hearing this band there is no wonder seeing them on the steadfast rise;
earning an immense amount of respect from their peers and heroes alike! Key
tracks: Flow, Telescopes, Show Me the Road
Inna Vision hails from Maui,
Hawaii and is one of the hottest
island reggae bands around! Set out on a constant drive since 2005 to create an
unmatchable sound along with their
"Push" EP in 2015, and 2012s
"No Stopping." The new album "Lifted" was released on EN
Young's Roots Musician Records and found at the top of many of my playlists
throughout the year. Numerous tracks contain a rock-steady, dancehall sound that
sets Inna Vision apart for me. Standout appearances featuring EN Young, New
Kingston, Maad T-Ray, Irie Love, Gavinchi Brown and rising above the others is the ballad, "Reggae Lives," featuring Star from The
Steppas. This reggae anthem echoes what the entire genre implores: it is a
oneness spirituality in nature and these artists give their hearts to the music
connecting them with their listeners. Through music they express gratitude as
well as suffering. With no signs of letting up, Inna Vision have announced the
"Highest Grade" EP dropping March 2017! "Lifted" by the
music, and their love for it, they give it all to their fans in each song and
with every live performance! Key tracks: Reggae Lives, Prosper & Earn,
Enjoy This Moment
2) Seedless - The Orange Album
After years of anticipation since Seedless released "Twisted
Roots" in 2010, they dropped "The Orange Album," in September
2016! In the interim Seedless connected with fans releasing the "Orange
EP," recording a live track of "Last December," collaborating
with Kat on "You Got Me," and a reggae/metal infusion collab with Bobby
Lee from SOJA called "Eyes" (offered as a free download on their
Bandcamp). However, as great as the tracks
over the years have been, "The Orange Album" satisfies all cravings
with one solid collection showing their perseverance and desire to connect with
fans. In May 2016 the band took a new direction when singer/songwriter/guitarist
Casey Sullivan with high-energy bass player Grant Rivera announced that
personal and business obligations would not allow them to carry on with the
band. However, the passion and powerful dynamic remains in tact with vocalist
Matt Liufau, drummer Shay Pino, guitarist Joe Bakhos, and Anthony Wells on
keys. Seedless added Jason J on guitar/vocals, J-Bird (Justin Iannelli) on
bass, and Essel Liufau (Matt's sister) on vocals to add soulful layers to the
harmonies. Key tracks: Love is a Drug, Heart of a Warrior, Borrowed Time
There is an evident, profound depth in the writing, recording and releasing on The Movement's new album "Golden." The impressive music and lyric quality throughout represents a band heading towards greatness. And there is definitely something
to be said about the journey The Movement went on to bring the band's 6th official release
to fruition. The hype that
surrounded this album that was years in the making was fully lived up to. Singer/guitarist/and
co-founder of The Movement Josh Swain reveals, "This is a record of
many firsts. It was the first time we really did it the right way. We had the
best producer and engineer, the best studio and creative environment, and we
were sober and 100% focused. Being so clear-headed allowed us to put out the
best ideas. I feel like it is our strongest record to date." It was
also the first release from any band on the Rootfire Cooperative, the same that assisted
HIRIE with the release of "Wandering Soul." Swain said, "I
was never a fan of relinquishing ownership and I didn't understand why a label
should own my music forever or why there is a percentage on the back end years
after any money has been spent on marketing a record." He continued,
"I didn't see any need to outsource this album to a label so I told
Seth (Seth Herman, operations, business developer and artist manager for
Rootfire Collective) to start a company and we could put out our record out with
him." Furthermore, Swain mentioned something about the album
that most probably didn't know about, or even notice in the background of the
"Golden" album art, the Fibonacci Code. Swain explained, "I
really started to like the idea behind the Fibonacci Code, the Golden Ratio,
Golden Mean, Golden Spiral. I liked the idea of searching for order and
commonality in the chaos. Add to that the idea of requiring a ‘heart of gold’
to inject beauty and goodness into the order and using the word golden as a
synonym for perfect... It just made sense to me." The Fibonacci Code,
shown in the graph and example below, is a sequence of numbers after two
starting values each following number is the sum of the two previous numbers in
the equation; spiraling out. (For Example, starting at the beginning: 0+1=1,
1+1=2, 1+2=3, 2+3=5, 3+5=8, 8+5=13, etc...). It is found throughout nature in
patterns on shells, fruit, pine cones, leaves, and flowers as well as some
other bands like Tool, A Perfect
Circle, and Mudvayne. The heavy bass, steady beats, smooth rhythms, and genius lyrics
all provide a musical soundscape out from the spiral of life into the great
unknown. Be sure to check out The Movement on their mega Sounds of Summer tour
with Slightly Stoopid, Iration, and J Boog. Key tracks: Golden, Fair Warning, Retriever
This album is a self-titled masterpiece; deciding to take a day/night approach to let the music speak for itself in “color code.” Dirty Heads singer/MC Jared Watson said in an interview for ThePier.org, “We are trying to provide the order we think you should listen to these in” [and the color-coding helps to] “reflect the vibes of feeling positive, exuberant versus chilled out and low key.” Picking up right where the self-titled album left off, The Dirty Heads released "Dessert," a tasty 4 song follow up EP. But be on the look out for more huge tours and side project by Dirty Heads drummer Matt Ochoa and singer Jared Watson that fans have been counting on for quite a few years, Sword Beach! Two singles, "Vacation Forever" and "Feelin It," along with some live performances emerged from Sword Beach in 2016 but a full album is rumored due out 2017. Key tracks: Doesn't Make You Right, Red Lights, That's All I Need
San Diego, CA based
Jet West released their sophomore album "Wake Up" in 2016 with some
major intent. After taking their fans on a the fun and uplifting ride on their first release, "Dropping In," that put them on the map in the Southern California reggae scene they spent the following few years on steady tours, building a fan base, appearing at festivals across the country, and gearing up for the next chapter in their story. Jet West recorded "Wake Up" at the infamous 17th St Recording Studio in Los
Angeles and had the album art created by renowned artist Jimmy Ovadia. They even recorded
a cover of Doors song, "People Are Strange," produced by Kaleo from
Pepper. "Wake Up" is a fun, experience loving, getaway
album that takes its listeners on a full kicked back vacation. Key tracks: Wanderer, Island, Waiting
When the first single "Dark Necessities" for the Red Hot Chili Peppers new album "The Getway" dropped in May 2016, I had a feeling it would be one of my favorite albums of the year. For the first time in over 25 years the producer was someone other than Rick Rubin, instead opting to hand over the console to Danger Mouse (19 time Grammy nominated and 6 time winner producer/artist) and mixing duties to long time Radiohead producer, Nigel Godrich. The sound seemed much more natural RHCP than "I'm With You," the first album without guitarist John Frusciante post-"Californication." New addition, Josh Klinghoffer, was a long-time guitar tech and collaborator of Frusciante's and found his niche in "The Getaway." Lots of deep grooves, howling effects, and bouncing bass filled the tracks. I was utterly impressed with these rock-n-roll veterans ability to capture their identity cover-to-cover again. Key tracks: Dark Necessities, Goodbye Angels, The Hunter