Nite Blues Steel Band – “Steel Band Music of the Caribbean”
Now, I’ve wrote about steel bands in the past and I was not a fan, this might be different because it’s Caribbean and according to Discogs, it has the ‘reggae’ genre tag. So, let’s see.
Alright, so the album starts with “T S O P” and you can definitely feel the island vibe from it, I’m not quite sure what the one instrument I am hearing is, it very well could be one of the steel drums, but I like it. “Bass Man” comes next, and we kind of have that same sort of feel and vibe to the song and music, with the occasional maraca shake. “Ben Wood Dick” comes next, and this one has a different kind of sound to it, as we’re greeted with a few light drums taps every so often. “Yellow Bird” comes next, and this one starts a lot differently than the rest and it was definitely something that stood out, but it seems to just be that part of the song. The rest of it kind of sticks with that same Caribbean style. I do find with this kind of music, it’s one that if you’re not paying full attention than you’re going to end up lost in the tracks, which hey, maybe that’s good, maybe that is what it is supposed to do. Lastly, the A-Side closes out with “Brazilian Love Song” and this track too, starts off differently, and has a slightly different tone than the others. But nothing that really stands out.
The B-Side opens with “Una Paloma Blanca” and you know that the island vibe keeps coming on this one, the beat is good, but for some reason I really can’t get too far into Steel Band music. “Mongoose” continues the album, and this one actually has some vocals, which is the title repeated. It’s not bad. “Sweet ‘N Breezy” comes next, and you know with the way it started I thought it was going to be something a bit different, but no, it is exactly what you get from an album of Caribbean music. Next up is “Carmelita” is it the Warren Zevon song that was famously covered by GG Allin? I really can’t tell. I don’t think it is. But if it was, that would kind of cool. Though, I’m quite partial to the GG cover. And we come to the end of the album with “Mama’s Tune” and it’s not bad, it’s been an alright listen.
All in all, it is definitely preferable over the York Lions Steel Band, but still all these years later, Steel Bands aren’t my thing. I don’t think I’ll be going back into any further Steel Band albums.
Catalog Number:
OL 6168
Credits:
Lead Pan – James Roche
Second Lead Pan – Kenny Oliver
Rhythm Pan – Irving Hughes
Congo – Isaiah John
Bass Guitar – Roosevelt Joseph
Drums – Joe Buffong
Released:
1980
Find it on Discogs
