Album Review: Common Kings invite you to party down with CELEBRATION!
Common Kings perform at Cali Vibes 2023. Photo credit: Jeremy Morgan / Highly Decent Photography.
The ultra-smooth Orange County quartet known as Common Kings are back to put their signature island vibes into the pop-reggae scene with a brand new album fittingly titled CELEBRATION. Almost two years in the making and filtered down from an incredible 120 songs to just 12, CELEBRATION aims to get you in the mood to shake around and sing aloud!
These guys create magic every time they step into the studio and their live performances go just as hard. I had the absolute joy of catching them on the west coast during Cali Vibes back in February and felt the full energy they effortlessly spread around when they’re up on the stage. They have been perfecting their sound for over a decade, all roads leading to this latest showpiece of an album released on their own label, Island Empire/Mensch House Records.
You know you’re in for a high energy LP when it starts off with a James Brown style intro, and it’s not a party without a whole gang of friends to share the vibes with.
Royal Blu, J Boog, Kabaka Pyramid, SpreadLof, Marc E. Bassy, BigBody Cisco, Sammy Johnson, The Green and Demarco all lend their musical prowess to help turn it all the way up (past eleven!).
When the music community joins forces, everybody wins.
Let’s dive into a few songs!
The title track, “Celebration (One Shot)”, is surprisingly one of the more mellow tunes in the tracklist. Whether you have a reason or not, it’s time to celebrate! Shots on shots, waking up with new tattoos and all the right reasons to have a great night with friends (that you may or may not remember) creates the perfect backbone for a party anthem anybody can relate to, set to a chill beat and the “chicks” of a hip-hop hi-hat.
Everybody has a special someone they see in their mind when that sexy song comes on, and the King’s have you covered (or uncovered…) with the steamy and provocative “Raggamuffin”. J Boog hops on the tune and keeps things spicy and to the point! I love the punchy reggae keys and the lower-than-low bassline that keeps the sensual rhythm right on time. See if you can spot the nod to the amazing artist Fiji in the lyrics!
If you’re ready to dance to a club-style banger, finish that drink and spin up “Wild Out” for a bass-heavy groove that has no chill. Big Body Cisco hops in DJ-style to keep the rhythm hyped up from beginning to end, and I love it! It could just be me, but I feel like this track has a new-era disco aura to it, which is why it would have no problem getting a crowd to move their feet in any dancehall smart enough to have it in their playlist.
CELEBRATION has a lot more to offer, so queue it up and see what the Common Kings have been working hard to get into the hands of reggae-lovers across the board. They have over two-dozen dates left on their current tour; plenty of chances to go support the band and hear some of these songs live and direct, so get to a show near you!
