The album is bursting with reggae hits, immediately starting with You Can Get It If You Really Want. It's pretty simplistic (therefore getting repetitive after a while), but there's no denying that it's seriously catchy pop music. And while it's quite unusual for the same song to appear twice on the album (first and second-last), somehow I find this quaint and endearing.
Draw Your Brakes (an alternate title for Stop That Train) is one of my all-time favourite rocksteady songs. More specifically, that rocksteady groove is wonderfully enveloping- it's one of those riffs which could happily continue forever. Bliss!
In isolation, Rivers Of Bablyon is probably not a song I would enjoy. But being engrossed in the mood of the album means that I really dig it's gospel style. Similarly, I'm not sure exactly why I like Many Rivers To Cross, but I do! Somehow this is music that skips any logical judgement (not that it's a bad song) and takes a short-cut straight to the soul.
Looking at the list of "favourite songs" below, you might notice that it's only the pop hits. I think this is because the more traditional (calypso-esque) style of reggae isn't really my cup of tea, so unfortunately I can't get into songs like Sweet And Dandy and Shanty Town.
...So, let's back to the hits then. Sitting In Limbo is pop perfection. It's quite simple, yet the hooks are all wonderfully effective. Also, I really like how the intensity gently builds up throughout the song.
Finally, the narrative of the The Harder They Come is fantastic: uplifting and defiant. The backing music is also brilliantly catchy, and I especially enjoy the pre-chorus.
For me, the movie (a pretty ordinary film IMHO) is completely redundant. This collection of songs tells a wonderful narrative all on its own.
No comments:
Post a Comment