Dr. Boondigga & the Big BW

by Fat Freddy's Drop

Overview

This Maori/Samoan/New Zealander band claims influences as diverse as highlife, Berlin techno, and bhangra, but what their music sounds like most consistently is a strangely modern and soulful version of jazzy reggae. Lead singer Dallas Tamaira (aka Joe Dukie) has an airy, soulful voice that sometimes comes across like a more nimble version of Roland Gift's falsetto, while the band can shift with equal agility between house, dancehall, funk, and one-drop grooves, sometimes within a single track. "The Nod," for example, starts out in a slowly chugging one-drop reggae mode before a lovely trombone solo heralds a segue into a New Orleans second-line funeral jazz interlude; "Big BW," on the other hand, juxtaposes a dark and bumping club groove with light soul-jazz vocals. "Pull the Catch" is straight-up funky dancehall, while "Shiverman" slowly builds a strong house beat beneath a chestier and more robust vocal -- it's a great sound, but at over ten minutes, the song is too long by half. It's hard to understand why the band chose to end the album with the relatively enervated and pedestrian reggae-soul of "Breakthrough," but overall this album is a hoot and a triumph. ~ Rick Anderson

Product Details

Release Date:	11/10/2009
Label:	!K7 / The Drop
UPC:	0730003461316
Rank:	47646

Tracks

1. Big Bw
2. Shiverman
3. Boondigga
4. The Raft
5. The Camel
6. The Nod
7. Wild Wind
8. Breakthrough

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Fat Freddy's Drop   Primary Artist
Joe Dukie   Vocals
Rio Hemopo   Vocals (Background),Bass
Alice Russell   Vocals
Chip Matthews   Bass

Technical Credits

Fat Freddy's Drop   Composer,Producer
Kerry Brown   Photography