Roots Of Creation’s latest CD Livin Free is another offering of their grand, glorious sound. Horns, guitars, keyboards and a whole lot of other instrumentation create fun, upbeat waves of melodic joy while wrapping themselves around amicable reggae and ska grooves.
Opening track “Get Ready” draws the listener in with an engaging intro. Brett Wilson’s hip swagger at the microphone finds its home among an infectious backbeat and coolly unfurling horn lines. It’s just enough to keep the listener focused on this tune’s traveling, motion filled sensation.
“Different” rolls forward with a lolling beat that meanders its way forward with a mellow trot. A gentle tuft of vocals, keys, horns, and guitar weave a fine, cruising sound while intriguing the ear with their individual contributions.
“3X A Lady” is a confection made up of a hip hop beat with a bunch of instrumentation moving in sync with its simple, yet infectious groove. A keyboard just taps out a simple chord pattern but there is real charm in its tunefulness. Vocalist Wilson delivers the rapid, trippy lyrics with an up tempo stabbing motion that impresses with his daredevil speed and accuracy. Everything here just moves with a fun charisma.
Roots Of Creation move into a more island vibe on “Oh Lord,” a tune Wilson sings with a faux Jamaican accent. A funk guitar riff is as feisty and quick as the lyrical delivery and the tune moves through its verses like a dramatic poetry reading. It’s just a snappy, punchy number that doubles the fun with a wave of synthesizer joy, brittle guitar lines, and a sudden burst of horns.
The band plays in a flinty, rocking style on “Uplift.” While things are still powered by a fun, island beat, horns are more strident here, an electric guitar announces itself with an edgy verve, and the low end pumps out a much thicker line here. Wilson sings this one more like an anthem, and I can picture him drawing a huge crowd around himself when he sings this live. There’s a lot of charisma in his playful delivery.
Mellow groove number “Struggle” features warm keyboard chords, making this piece feel lifted, floating. Amidst that breezy texture Wilson discusses, in a down tempo coolness, the state of the world. His hipster approach and street wise lyrics combine with the easeful funk to make a tune that entertains while feeling in touch with today’s issues.
“Rubber Bullets” is a protest song, though it doesn’t feel like one due to its peaceful, neo-hippie vibe. The singer talks about being resistant to rubber bullets as a metaphor for his message about being impervious to violence. It’s another Roots song that pulls one in with their snappy groove and inspiring melodic uplift.
Swaggering in with horn and guitar gusto, “I’ll Be There” builds itself up over a catchy reggae groove. One cannot help but get swept up in the swirl of organ and blasting horn melodies. It has the power of an anthem while also making you feel like dancing.
“Punk Roc” is a beautiful, edgy combo of reggae grooves with a 1970s’s punk rock aggression. An electric guitar goes to town, pressing out all of the angst filled tension with six string mania while the Roots horn section mirrors that edge with thinner but brisker lines of their own. This thing rocks, blares, and pounds all at once.
A pushy number with lots of fun, quirky guitar and keyboard parts, “Searchin” nudges its way forward with a knobby bass line that gives the song a secondary feeling of motion. The action above the groove is salad bar of melodies, horns, vocals, guitars, all making this tune hop, skip, and jump with lively energy.
“Policy” makes a statement about money and power. With guest Mighty Mystic’s voice sounding like he’s using a loudspeaker to address a crowd, his message booms alongside gliding, arcing guitar lines, and he becomes a large than life presence. The Rubberbucket horns appear and blow some intriguing melody lines. This tune somehow manages to be tight and unwieldy at same time, a groove that holds a bunch of moving parts together well.
“Row Jimmy” marries the sensibility of The Grateful Dead’s original classic to island idioms and grooves. This version respects the song and the reggae groove that supports the upper register instruments and vocals feels as earthy as the Dead might have intended. Wilson’s vocal is loaded with real emotion, helping to turn this into a fresh, worthy revisit.
“Stay With Me” triples its own funk value in the way the keys so heavily tread upon the groove. Wilson’s guitar is particularly lively here, perky and feisty and the horns sway beautifully around everything. Conversely, “Strength” relies on acoustic guitar and soft organ swirls to make an impact, conjuring a lot of feeling with its more delicate approach.
Roots Of Creation close out their new album with “A Time Will Come,” and they say farewell for now in style. This one is steeped in reggae style, with Wilson delivering an island flavored rap, and the tune slips into a positive themed chorus. Light, breezy, and sunny, this track is certainly uplifting, carrying its sweet message about mankind rising up as the vibe of the song rises upward, with gentle pushes from each instrument.
Roots Of Creation have come up with another sensational album. This CD will be as pleasing to their fans as anything they’ve ever released, and it might even gain them an even wider audience.
