Thank you @darcyska for gifting this CD!

ONE DROP – One Drop (2004)

One Drop, from Victoria BC, (not to be confused with the San Diego band) is a seven piece reggae rock band boasting saxophones and keyboards.  They’ve been around 20 years, and have at least three releases out.  Having said that, this will be my first listen (and first impression) of this band and their music.  With sax and keys, it should be a rich sound.  Let’s get on with it!

“Rudy” opens this 13 track album with loops and a beat.  Even Marillion were experimenting with loopy beats in 2004, and I definitely recognize some of those drum loops (distant and steady) as being fashionable at the time.  Then, the track kicks into gear with the saxophones and a bouncy low bassline.  The vocals are partly rapped, but it works within the song.  There are even guitar solos.  Excellent track!

“Three Four Reggae” is a brief song featuring acoustic guitar and rolling bass.  It’s a gentle track that lulls you in, leading right into the hard hitting “Big Bang”.  This blast of a song hooks you in with a saxophone line at the forefront.  It alternates between cool reggae beats and the crash of heavy guitar chords.  There’s even a wicked guitar solo.  Shades of the Mighty Mighty Bosstones can be heard on this song.

Another brief interlude comes in “Tango” featuring an old sample mixed with a modern beat.  Again, this seamlessly leads into a heavy-hitter.  “Look the Other Way” is fast and hard punk rock, complete with snotty nose.  Just as suddenly, we’re in the slow groove of “Never Rest”.  The saxophones are back center stage, and the bass continues to roll while Blair Douglas raps an anti-war message.  George W. Bush is lambasted, as the Iraq war raged on.  This track would probably have been awesome to hear live back in the day.  There’s a brilliant, soft alto sax solo at the end that just reeks of atmosphere.  Brilliant tune.

The pace picks up on “Someday”, which jangles its way into your skull right down to your feet.  On “Never There”, the groove slows and becomes bitter.  This song doesn’t jump out immediately.  It may require further listening.  “Bloodshed” again tackles serious subject matter, with a gentle guitar rhythm backed by solid bass.  Better though is “Gotta Relate” which has a more rock and roll feel, with a classic guitar riff backed by reggae bass.  This transitions to a more traditional reggae guitar part, and I get a bit of a Sublime vibe.  This is a great song, period.  The chorus is catchy as hell.  Then, an epic “Rich Man Poor Man” plays with different sections, different tempos, and almost comes off as…progressive rock reggae?  Is that a thing?  If it is, that’s “Rich Man Poor Man”.

The album closes on two long bombers.  “Rudy Dub” is what it sounds like:  a slow dub groove.  The organ is the main feature here.  This is a cool instrumental that works as the penultimate track on an album.  The final track, “The Projects”, takes a while to get going and might have benefited from some editing.  It has all the energy, drive and punch it needs, but lacks hooks.  A killer hook or two, and this album would have ended on an unstoppable note.  One Drop get too clever for their own good, going from section to section like a progressive rock band, but in search of that killer hook needed to slam it out of the park.  Just once you think they have one going, the song changes into something else.

Good album from a talented band.  I bet they are awesome live.

3.5/5 stars