Daily Reggae Album Review: The Black Seeds flex their creativity and talent in the new album "Love & Fire"

Photo courtesy of Easy Star Records. Photo credit: David James.

Since their formation in the late 90's, New Zealand's The Black Seeds have been key ambassadors for the reggae sounds of the South Pacific. Every one of their six albums have impacted audience's worldwide with a quality sound that is not afraid to blend a wide variety of genres with their reggae foundation. On their seventh full length release "Love & Fire", the band has truly outdone themselves. Sometimes musicians, especially those with long and successful careers, use more or less a formula to make new music. "Love & Fire" however lives, breathes, and bleeds creativity throughout every song on the album, making it a very pleasant, fun, and interesting run of music that we absolutely love. 

The album kicks off with the bass-heavy, pop sensible, upbeat tune "Let The Sunshine Through". The production decisions give the song a very fresh tonality. Unique synth creation, playful guitar and horn lines, and a mix of analogue and sampled percussion give the instrumentation a great rhythm that moves the song forward beautifully, while lead singer Barnaby Weir's vocals cut through perfectly.

The title track "Love & Fire" is a slower tempo jam with a distinct reggae backbeat while having the rhythm of a slower electronic dance track. Many amazing songs have been crafted after a musician gets a new piece of gear. Something about the first few sessions on a new instrument brings about wonderful ideas, and "Love & Fire" is one such example. The Black Seeds' keyboardist Nigel Patterson acquired a vintage synthesizer, and the sounds and rhythms he created on the synth brought about this awesome track.

Head to our Daily Reggae Album Reviews page to read our full review!

"Bring The Sun" by The Black Seeds is the Daily Reggae Song of the Day.