New Kingston City Music Analysis

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With the November 2014 signing of Brooklyn reggae outfit New Kingston, New York City indie reggae label Easy Star Records proved itself, yet again, to be much more than just “those guys who dubbed out Pink Floyd’s ‘Dark Side of the Moon’.” New Kingston’s new album Kingston City, their debut album for Easy Star, which was released on January 27, 2015, has impressively debuted at #1 on the Billboard Reggae chart. The album is the band’s third studio album and their first release to claim the #1 spot on the Billboard Reggae chart. New Kingston, a family group featuring three brothers (Stephen, Courtney Jr., and Tahir) and their father play a refreshing brand of reggae that is as authentically Jamaican as it is refreshingly unique among other U.S. reggae outfits. A Jamaican roots reggae vocal trio at their core, New Kingston displays a remarkably expansive vocal range, impressive diction (check “Conquer Dem” featuring Sister Carol), an inspiriting lack of pretense, surprisingly adept musicianship, and musical sensibilities that span many sub-genres within reggae. For three youths who grew …show more content…

The group gets right down to business as they hail one of their most profound influences on the album’s second track, an infective tune titled “Mystery Babylon,” which is a brilliant retelling of Israel Vibration’s 1995 single “Rudeboy Shufflin’.” While the brilliance of Albert “Apple Gabriel” Craig’s sure-shot at 90’s reggae slackness (and a veiled warning shot to former Vibes producer Tommy Cowan) was its gentle tone, the strength of “Mystery Babylon” is in its unabashed, no-nonsense directness. “Mystery Babylon,” which features former Roots Radics and Soul Syndicate drummer Carlton “Santa” Davis, Maad T-Ray and E.N. Young of Tribal Seeds, is one of the highlights of the album and a well-deserved shout to one of Jamaica’s greatest vocal

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