Album Review: The Late Ones blend their love of reggae, hip hop, and spirituality in the band’s amazing debut album, The Fourth Quarter

Photo courtesy of Easy Star Records. Photo credit: Carlos Mozo

Creating something great often requires hard work, diligence, and a lot of patience. Brothers Tui Avei and Tau Avei, along with cousin Josh Brunson, understand this, taking five years to complete their fantastic debut full-length album "The Fourth Quarter" released on October 8, 2021. The trio performs and records under the name "The Late Ones", which to them represents their respect for legendary artists and revolutionaries such as "Bob Marley, 2Pac, Jimi Hendrix, Steve Biko, and John Lennon", whom the trio honor through their music. Listen to any track by The Late Ones and it's easy to believe that they are related. The trio's three voices work wonderfully together to create beautiful vocal harmonies with a sound similar to pioneering roots groups such as The Mighty Diamonds. Combine this with 90's hip hop beats and flow reminiscent of A Tribe Called Quest and The Late Ones are a force to be reckoned with.

The hybrid blend of genres The Late Ones blend to create their own style is clear on the vibey single "Feeling Myself". This jammin feel-good track starts with a groovin drum pattern, tasteful bell samples, and guitar tracks that bring the entire rhythm to life. Right away the lead vocals of Tui bring the positivity of this song to the forefront, with the low harmonies of Tau and upper harmonies of Josh complementing the lead melody perfectly. Tau and Josh proceed to spit fire on the following verses with lyrics that the band describes as “embodying empowerment and confidence given to us daily by a higher power.”

The theme of empowerment given daily by a higher power remains true for the full length of "The Fourth Quarter". Regarding the writing process of the album, Tui says, "I remember the Bible was a guiding light lyrically and we have always looked there for topics for songs. It’s the TLO style”. The fourth song on the LP "Jah Is" exemplifies how important their spirituality is to the trio, as they state in the chorus "Jah is the only reason that I stay afloat". This roots-heavy song begins with a stellar horn line, and the rhythm section performs with a great feel normally found only in roots music coming straight out of Jamaica.

One of our personal favorites on "The Fourth Quarter" is the soulful track "Tell Me Not". The song starts with two guitars performing alone, utilizing complex chords with a slight Neo Soul vibe that is both sensible and gets your heading moving right away. The beat drops in with a heavy kick, horns, and classic-sounding vocal harmonies. Josh and Tau once again deliver with well-developed bars, and Tui sings awesome melodies that are reminiscent of Sting and The Police. Of all the great tracks on "The Fourth Quarter", this one is our favorite.

The Late Ones have quickly been making a name for themselves, and with their unique and mature musical style, along with the backing of powerhouse reggae label Easy Star Records, they will assuredly continue to grow in notoriety after fans experience their phenomenal debut album. We recommend checking out their performance on Sugarshack Sessions available on Youtube and Spotify to get a taste of how great the trio sounds live!

For more music and tour dates visit www.thelateones.com.

"Tell Me Not" is the Daily Reggae Song of the Day.

By Chris Lawrie.

Review originally published on October 11, 2021.