Skaject: Byron Lee and the Dragonaires – Plays Jamaica Ska
welcome back to the Skaject folks! today we’re looking at Byron Lee and the Dragonaires’ Plays Jamaica Ska!
kicking things off with Last Night – a very fun instrumental track, covering The Mar-Keys, an R&B group. got a very fun beat here. Come Back features Patsy Todd and Stranger Cole, and was written by Cole. v nice track. Stranger Cole returns with Ken Boothe for Suzie – this one’s real danceable. def could see this one finding me in the right mood. Sammy Dead features Monty Morris – this one’s aight. really enjoyed the, what is that, harmonica on this one? Oh Marie brings in the vocal talents of The Charmers, and yeah they sound great on this track. All of My Life has some mix issues but it otherwise a nice track. Monty Morris returns for It Will Be Ages, and this one don’t do anything for me. Jamaica Ska is a fun track, one of those “describe a dance” tracks. p fun. Stranger and Patsy are back for Hold Me, which is aight. The Maytals, who are gonna show up in this project soon, are joining the Dragonaires for She Will Never Let Me Down, which is real fun. strong beat throughout, and oooooh gotta love those horns. Roy Panton and Yvonne Harrison join the group for the last two tracks of this record. man Step Aside hurts for the mix on this one too – vocals are a little muted here. i don’t think it’s getting in the way too much but it’s def noticeable. closing out the record is Danger. this track’s v fun, and i like the back and forth of the verses with Roy and Yvonne.
faves – Last Night, She Will Never Let Me Down
dislikes –
this was a really fun release, and it was neat to hear the band play with such a wide range of vocalists and collaborators, haha. honestly the whole album was very pleasant to listen to – clean beats throughout, some great hornlines here and there, and there’s some real fun vocal performances as well. neat sampling of the sound for sure!
Plays Jamaica Ska – 5/10
next up we’re gonna check out another Byron Lee and the Dragonaires record, Dance the Ska.
previous: I Feel the Spirit | next: Dance the Ska
previous Byron Lee record: Come Fly With Lee | next: Dance the Ska
Discussion ¬