Spiritual Rez’s latest release Setting In The West offers a lot of fun reggae/ska material that keeps the toes tapping, the heads bobbing, and the hearts singing. Nothing beats good musicians who can make their fans feel good, like they’re having a nonstop party on an eternal beach.
Opening track “Sober” has a muscular authority as it pushes its way out of the stereo speakers with a swaggering groove, a riffy guitar line, and an effusive horn line. This mid-tempo number has got an easeful confidence that draws the listener in with its internal combustive power. Vocalist Toft Willingham sings coolly as he cruises over its involving groove. His croon is honey smooth and rich as can be while musical colors and tones around him move with kaleidoscopic changes before coming back to the initial sound, letting his vocal contrast well with the mid section.
“Red Room” featuring Duddy B move onward with tons of cool. A springy bounce in the groove and a brisk rap-sing approach give this one a likeable flinty edge. It probably should’ve been the opening number, as opposed to the mid tempo piece mentioned above. “Red Room” has punchy melodic verve and a beat that is futile to resist. This is a tune that will have the audience jumping up and down in support of this number’s joyful, festive theme.
“Together Always” features HIRIE on an extended vocal phrase, and that gives even greater personality to this bopping, hopping number. A mid-tempo cruiser, this one is full of feisty vocals, a voice that rivals the horns with full, vibrant color and charm. Catchy and effusive, this one makes the listener feel good, as its wide arcing horn lines and vocal lines keep it lofty, bright, and warm.
“Bad Girl” features Billy Kottage doing his thing on this twirling, horn bleating sweetness. Everything on this tune is quaint in a major way. From its speedy, up tempo delivery, dancing horn lines, nimble bass picking, and harmonized cooing, this tune moves with artistic prowess through its never ending changes. You can really feel this one taking you somewhere.
The band pops into the snappy “Square Grouper” with a clever back beat that’s shadowed by an especially adept bass line. A listener can feel himself being pulled into this number by that grooving undertow. Then, one is motivated by the snappy vocal delivery.
“Blue Faces” is a forceful mid-tempo piece. The rhythm section push it forward with solid beats and thumpy low end. That heavier bottom lets the light, airy keys and horns sparkle prettily in the space above. The contrast is admirable as it also lets Willingham skip around vocally, his rich vocal timbre moving around with a slick gracefulness.
“Whiskey” has got plenty of snap, crackle, and pop. A punchy drum beat and a burst of horns keep things hopping while Willingham applies his handsome, drawling vocal to this hip, bopping groove. Each drum beat is worth its weight in gold as the lead vocal moves slyly around the rhythmic underpinning of this tune.
Beginning with funky vocal coos, “Tidal Wave” skitters along a straight path with a frisky beats and a gentle organ lift. Willingham makes his way through twisty lyrics with cool dude aplomb. The song feels like a tidal wave in size and depth and it has a lot of moving parts to increase its intrigue to the ear.
“Surface Tension” is a good mix of acoustic guitar and traditional reggae horn work and grooves. That flinty acoustic spearheads its way through a “surface tension” of drums, low end, and horns, contrasting its natural grit quite well to their more bulbous musical landscape.
Spiritual Rez close out this disc with “Digital Age,” an ode to the need to adapt to our current technology and its impact on the very way we live our lives. Punctuated by a rotating groove, this one’s piano carries the melodic sweep of the song in a way that carries the listener along with it while giving the tune a pretty ballad feel. Fantastic.
Spiritual Rez have given their fans a minor gem with this disc. It has plenty of fine musical moments while maintaining a fun party vibe.
