The New Zealand company Fat Freddy's Drop immediately put themselves on the map with their debut Based On A True Story (2005), in which the reggae base and the velvety soft voice of Joe Dukie stood out. Their formula consisted and still consists of long drawn-out songs, so that each song gets plenty of time to build up the atmosphere. The coloring was provided by a slightly off-tone blowing wind
… section which evokes memories of the earliest Jamaican ska. It is now seven years later and the musicians have gone through a growth process that manifests itself not only in more attention to elaborate arrangements, but also through the optimal use of space in the context of the 'less-is-more idea'. This time also trips to soul with a blues touch (Bones, Clean The House) and afrobeat (Mother Mother) which does not go bad for them and certainly opens perspectives for the future. Blackbird closes with Bohannon, a tribute to drummer Hamilton Bohannon who taught the world in the 1970s how to keep long drawn-out grooves interesting with few resources. A wise lesson from which Fat Freddy's Drop has benefited greatly. (AD)more
