Album Review: The Elovaters reach higher heights with new record “Castles”
Photo courtesy of Ineffable Music.
Boston band The Elovaters have been the rising star of the American Reggae scene for the past couple of years, a status well deserved with their professional-grade musicianship, quality songwriting, and consistent touring opening for major acts such as Pepper and Ziggy Marley that led to headlining tours of their own for their ever-growing fanbase. With all this said, it's in their new album Castles that we see the band truly coming into their own and delivering an album showcasing a broad and unique sound that will surely lock in their place as major players in modern American Reggae music.
Before delving into the music itself, it’s important to know how this album came to fruition. The Massachusetts band traveled to Oakland, California to work with producer Johnny Cosmic at Great Stone Studios. Chances are some of your favorite records have been cut at Great Stone. Green Day, Iggy Pop, Mos Def, and Collie Buddz have all recorded at the studio, and in 2017 Great Stone became the home of Stick Figure. Johnny Cosmic is a prolific producer who has worked on records for Pepper, Stick Figure, TJ O'Neill, SOJA, and The Movement. The band spent a full 16 days at the studio with Johnny writing and recording Castles. This large amount of time spent at the studio can be heard on the record through its creativity and 16-song 57-minute run time.
What we love most about this album is how The Elovaters were able to keep all of the songs consistent enough to make listening through its entirety an enjoyable and consistent experience, while still having a strong variability between the tracks that keeps the record fun and engaging throughout.
Castles kicks off with the feel good track “Be Alright”, a happy reggae jam highlighting the groove drummer Nicholas Asta and bassist Matt Link provide for the band. Right away our heads were bobbin' with smiles on our faces.
The third song on the record “Bright Side”, featuring Luke Mitrana, showcases the talent of guitarist Johnny Blaze Alves and singer/guitarist Jackson Wetherbee. The track has a singer/songwriter feel with wonderfully written acoustic guitar and complimenting electric guitar parts. Jackson brings stellar lyricism along with beautiful vocal harmonies to Bright Side, and after listening to the song the sky admittedly looks a little bluer and a bit more sunny.
Following Bright Side is the first breakout hit of the album “Margaritas”. A chill laid back album that was aptly created while the band was enjoying some Margaritas at the studio.
Castle’s features some great collaborations including songs with Stick Figure, The Movement, and G. Love & Special Sauce. “The Squeeze”, featuring G. Love, is a super funky jam where percussionist Derrick Cabral’s rhythmic taste really shines. “Gardenia”, made with Stick Figure, is an incredibly vibing and heavy reggae jam perfect for a late-night hangout. Like he does on the entire record, keyboardist Greg Nectow leaves his mark on the track, consistently raising the sound of The Elovaters to a higher level.
Make sure to listen to the new album as it is 100 percent worth more than a few listens! Go to www.theelovaters.com to check out the band's music, merch, and upcoming tour dates for the rest of 2021.
Be Alright by The Elovaters is the Daily Reggae Song of the Day.
By Chris Lawrie.
