Album Review: Groundation plays from the heart with jazz-infused roots album "One Rock"
Photo courtesy of Easy Star Records. Photo credit: Carla Henriques
Since its inception in 1999, Groundation has brought to the reggae community an immense catalogue of quality recorded music that blends genuine and heartfelt roots reggae with jazz influenced compositions and instrumental performances. As is the case for many of the albums we have reviewed thus far, Groundation's wonderful new album "One Rock" was born from the fires of the pandemic.
With the world undergoing rapid change and uncertainty, and the unique effect it had on musicians who could no longer tour and were now locked inside to ponder the world and their music, the albums incepted during this time period have been both reflective and supremely creative. In the reggae community the consequences of the pandemic were then compounded by the loss of many of the genre's legends and pioneers. Groundation's frontman Harrison Stafford said of "One Rock", "A lot of the album was inspired by the pandemic. The idea to focus the album's featuring on the elders was a direct reflection of having lost so many of our reggae icons through this time of isolation. Then also through this COVID-19 time you have the lyrical themes of greed and corruption within our ruling class as well as songs relating to the raw divisiveness of our world today. The concept behind the album ONE ROCK is one that reflects reality and looks directly at this post-pandemic, megalomanic world and our lack of ability to come together to focus on the real issues that face humanity." This inspiration permeates through all of the tracks on "One Rock", and as result us fans have been given a wonderfully crafted album that is a joy to listen to.
The new album kicks off with a collaborative roots track titled "Original Riddim". The song begins with an epic and grooving horn section, which quickly fades into a verse where lead vocals trade off with beautiful female chorus counter melodies. Featuring on this track are reggae legends Israel Vibration and The Abyssinians. The lyricism is worth paying extra attention too, as it touches on the theme that Stafford describes as, "our shared history of music stretching through millennia and back to our ancestral home in Africa."
Following "Original Riddim" is one of our favorite tracks on the album; the awesome jam "Human Race". It's on songs like this that Groundation really shows their uniqueness in the genre. The jazz influence rings through in "Human Race", as it features incredible sax solos, prolific string section arrangements, and the interplay of a large number of performers executed with grace and a professional ear.
Similar to "Human Race", the song "Market Price" shows the depth of Groundation's musical knowledge and influences. The track begins with a hypnotic solo jazz piano piece which then transitions into a beautiful and breezy roots verse that sounds nostalgic and warming to the heart. Mellow melody lines are traded off between guitars, horns, chorus, and strings. Complex chord changes are thrown in throughout the track, and of all the awesome songs on "One Rock", this is the one we would recommend listening to the most.
The new album ends with another Israel Vibration collaboration named "Iron". We like this song as a way to finish "One Rock" in that it highlights Groundation's ability to create genuine roots reggae music while still containing a killer groove. Israel Vibration's parts on this song really bring it to the next level. The guitar rhythm lines play a huge part in creating a dash of funkiness within the music, and various key/organ/synth choices fill out the overall instrumentation beautifully. The horn players again showcase their talent with sophisticated solos and arrangements, and the rhythm section makes the song an absolute jam.
For more info on the album and Groundation's music check out our Artist Profile with Harrison Stafford.
By Chris Lawrie.
