Album Review: Drop everything and listen to Cas Haley’s “Boots Rock Reggae, Vol. 1”

Photo courtesy of Ineffable Music.

Drop everything and listen to Cas Haley’s “Boots Rock Reggae, Vol. 1”!

Haley is one of the most talented musicians in today’s music world and this review is way over due! Haley brilliantly connects reggae, country and rock in this must-listen gem of an album!

Making covers your own and putting a twist on them that have a song sound like they could be your original creation is no easy task and Haley put in the work to make it sound easy!

One of my favorite tracks on the album is “Chicken Fried”. This is Hayley’s take on the giant Zac Brown Band hit and boy does it groove! Hayley’s vocals are gold and the addition of the irie bass line on this fan favorite gives the country hit a new island identity.

Speaking of a jamming bass line the bass drops so fine in “Have You Ever Seen The Rain”. Hayley’s vocals are so soulful and I’d love to hear him perform this track live sometime! 

Have some fun and put on Nitty Gritty Dirt Band’s “Fishing In The Dark” and then turn on Hayley’s reggae infused version and I guarantee you’ll smile within seconds. They are so good! Hayley’s ability to cross genres is an extraordinary musical gift and this track is a vibe.

Hayley collabs with the incredible Brooklyn-based reggae band, SunDub in “Jolene” and the horn section adds such a cool element to this cover of the Dolly Parton original.

This has been such a big year for cross genre innovation and Cas Haley has done an amazing job welcoming new fans to both the reggae and country genres!

By CB.