IMPROVING SILENCE

Friday, March 5, 2010

Sola Rosa - Get it Together



Once again my penchant for genre blending (bLending, not bending...) music becomes apparent, with Sola Rosa being labelled as: Electronic, Hip Hop, Reggae, Latin, Rock, Pop, Funk / Soul.

Sola Rosa is a 5 piece band that begun with solely Andrew Spraggon in 1999, and has evolved to include many members of many famous New Zealand groups.  Get It Together, Sola Rosa’s third full length release a genuine pleasure to listen to with fantastic instruments mixed together in a toe-tapping manner that will leave you wanting more after each listen. Unlike The Evpatoria Report, reviewed earlier, this album is perfectly suited to an in depth listen just as much as it’s an ideal background album to chill to with friends over.

The album begins with a gradual lead up into a stunning frenzy of well structured instruments in The Ace of Space, which sets the tone perfectly for the first half of the album. It’s all very upbeat and nothing would seem out of place at a Latin nightclub, with the exception of perhaps the New Zealand accents. The album’s third song, Del Ray, was described to me by a friend as ‘Techno Spaghetti Western’, a term which sounds so wrong but works so well in Sola Rosa’s case. The Genres melt perfectly into each other, from cheery dance beginnings to slightly gloomier hip-hop middle and beyond.


Sola Rosa - Turn Around ft. Iva Lamkum

Lady Love featuring the well known Bajka is a sweeping emotional piece with spoken word verses and a delicate chorus in a beautifully unique voice layered over brooding strings and guitar. A traditional structure but somewhat unorthodox vocal arrangement reminds of hip-hop music without any of the aggression. This album is a continuous surprise in the scope of different sounds and yet retaining a certain familial sound that ties it back to the band and previous records.

The album is closed off with a reggae-like vibe in These Words, These Sounds, These Powers featuring Spikey Tree, albeit with a more dub influenced musical backdrop. Overall Sola Rosa’s Get It Together is an album that has something for almost every occasion, a perfect addition to an entertainer’s collection. - Last.fm - Myspace -

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