Various Artists
Universal Music
People who say: “Went to the Caribbean for two weeks,” usually follow it up with: “It was amazing” and garner the kind of reaction you’d get if you told people aliens had turned your cat into a Rice Krispie Square. Everyone wants to go to the Caribbean because (A) it looks great, and (B) it means you’ve probably reached the pinnacle of the financial pyramid. Unfortunately not all of us have reached that pinnacle; in fact a lot of us are still stuck at the bottom with all the Geckos and Camel dung. Enter ‘Calypsoul 70’, an album that brings the soul and flavour of the Caribbean direct to YOU! albeit without tasty cocktails, sandy beaches, and really happy locals. In a nutshell, Calypsoul 70 is a compilation encapsulating the broad-spectrum of Caribbean sounds; we’re talking traditional steel bands, roots reggae, and the more recent influences of disco, funk, and soul. This here hack wouldn’t normally purchase an album called Calypsoul 70; it sounds like one of those 20p flat cola drinks they used to sell in the school canteen – bringing bad memories flooding back like a savage No.2 following the flush of badly blocked toilet. Thing is, Calypsoul 70 is so damn cheerful that I couldn’t help shaking imaginary maracas and wiggling my butt-cheeks like a pair of fighting ferrets. Sure, some tracks, like Biosis Now’s ‘Independent Bahamas’, start to grate at the four-minute mark when they go all 80s cop show, but who gives a damn when you’ve got wonderfully uplifting tunes like opener ‘The Little You Say’? Calypsoul 70 may not be the perfect compilation, but it’s guaranteed to bring a little ray of sunshine to your life; even if you do live in a shitty flat in Yarm, where rain’s as common as Chlamydia and people greet you with a grunt. Dangerous Dave
Calypsoul 70 (Caribbean Soul: 1969 – 1979) is released on September 2nd.
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