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Review of Wailing Souls' EQUALITY

© Ryan A. MacMichael

In 1994, the Wailing Souls released Live On on Sony imprint Zoo Records. It was their first dealing with a mainstream label and the result was surprisingly good, considering what major labels have done to reggae in the past. The title track was strong, as was their cover of Paul Simon's "Mother and Child Reunion." But even with the good results of the album, you could tell that something wasn't quite right -- you could tell the Wailing Souls were a powerful voice in reggae, but that good old roots feeling just wasn't there.

Over the next few years, the Souls recorded some easy-to-miss albums. But this year, Winston "Pipe" Mathews and Lloyd "Bread" McDonald returned to their roots in Trench Town, Jamaica and recorded {Equality} for the new Reggae Blitz imprint of Music Blitz Records. The result: an outstanding collection of twelve tracks with pure, unadulterated Wailing Souls.

The title track starts things off with a powerful, upbeat vibe that sets the pace for the rest of this feel-good album. "Hard Living" comes next and gives us the positive sound and feeling we haven't heard since Toots and the Maytals. It's one of those tracks you can imagine the duo performing at a live show fifteen years from now and getting a good crowd response.

While most the album are lighter, upbeat cuts ("Back of My Hand," "Foundtation," and "Power and Glory"), some tracks have a slightly more serious edge to them like ("Not for Us," "Speaking of Time," and the Everton Blender-esque "Down On Your Knees"). These work just as well and help show that the Souls are a very versatile group. They also have a heck of a knack for creating catchy hooks -- there's not one song that won't invoke memories when it comes time for the chorus.

There's no doubt in my mind: Reggae Blitz is a label to watch -- with albums like {Equality} (a definite album-of-the-year contender) under their belt, they're destined for greatness. This is how reggae should be done.

Find out more about Reggae Blitz at reggaeblitz.com.

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