Daily Reggae Album Review: Cydeways serves up something fresh and delicious with a new self-titled album

Photo courtesy of LAW Records.

A great dish is often composed of a variety of flavors that would otherwise conflict if it weren't for the skill and creativity of a talented chef. Music shares this characteristic, especially in the modern age, as the genres that have developed over the past century are now being mixed to create wonderful new songs and releases. On their new full-length album, the American band Cydeways has accomplished exactly that. Blending reggae, pop-punk, hip hop, and alternative rock, Cydeways has created an album that has high energy, moments of calm, and stylistic flow from start to finish.

The self-titled album is introduced by the feel-good reggae hip-hop tune "Gold". The instrumentation pulls much of its breezy vibe from a catchy acoustic guitar riff that belongs somewhere between a Jack Johnson and a Kenny Chesney record. The 16th note swing of the kick in the drum pattern gives "Gold" the groove of a hip hop track, and lead singer Dustin Parks switches between a syncopated flow in the verse and pop-rock singing in the chorus. All of this is pulled together throughout with fun horn section arrangements that flourish in the bridge especially.

Head over to the Daily Reggae Album Reviews page to read Chris Lawrie’s full review!

"Down" is the Daily Reggae Song of the Day.