Shabang! Steel Drum Band: Reviews

"...soca meets dancehall at its best. It is hot, wet and slippery."

earBuzz Review: Harry Best's 1999 effort, "Sittin' in da sun", includes "Cool De Fire" and "Feet on the Ground" from the Caribbean CD and 6 others pieces we hadn't heard before. The CD opens with "Just You", a steel-drum instrumental snappy theme tune that sounds like a TV Show opener - maybe Best's new venture on ABC?? no? Percussion and off time snare hits along with a cool melody make this colorful tune work. We got a bit confused on track's 4 and 5 as they are in the wrong order on the CD listing - but we got it straight. Track 4, "Samba De Orfeau", is our favorite instrumental on the disc. .it has a cool keyboard rhythm that is deep and supportive. Strings are panned and barely audible - but add the birds to the sky musical tapestry. Track 5, "Rosita" is a vocal tribute to a woman Best sings of from California - marriage is part of the plan?. .Best sings, 'you pledge your heart to marry to me?, si senor, you promise to love me the rest of your life?, si senor, I love Rosita, my sweetheart from California'. Cool. Track 6, "Kaiso Reggae", is the most percussively ambitious tune - drums and machines stab all over the place while the melody sweetly takes you on its reggae steel journey. Nice representation of Best, here - .it gives a good snapshot of his capabilities and talent with solid production and well chosen compositions.

earBuzz Review: Harry Best and Shabang's Christmas album includes 7 holiday reggae steel drum instrumental tunes and 3 of Harry's vocal treatments to such songs as "Deck the Halls", "Jingle Bells", and "once in Royal David's City". Each instrumental tune features steel drums on the melody line and a rhythm section that is mixed back a bit. Drums - whether midi based or live - are not too present as the focus is put on the soloist. On instrumental, "Silent Night", the bass lines, notes, again midi or not, are long and supportive - nothing flashy - just the root, baby. On "What Child is this", the bass gets more active and the guitar (in the left channel) gets a dose of super chorus/flange. The melody by steel pan players, Best and Dexter Bruce, is active and in the pocket. Our favorite track is "Deck the Halls', as Best assembles cheer and great background vocalists (kids in there perhaps?) - his treatment of the line that includes Yule Time Treasure is mp3'd here and not to be missed. .cool stuff. Nice holiday collection for any lover of that caribbean sound.