The Green has released Marching Orders, an appealing mix of reggae, dancehall, R&B and pop all with Hawaiian flavors. Marching Orders marks the band’s fourth studio album and is the follow-up to 2013’s Hawai’i ’13. The lineup includes: Caleb Keolanui on lead and backing vocals; Zion Thompson on guitar and lead and backing vocals; JP Kennedy on guitar, lead and backing vocals; Ikaika Antone on keyboards, lead and backing vocals; Brad “BW” Watanabe on bass, keyboards, guitar, drums and backing vocals; and Jordan Espinoza on drums. Special guests: Busy Signal, Eric Rachmany, J Boog, The Mana’o Company, and Fiji. All the tracks are buoyant with roots reggae flavors, but The Green has the ability to navigate the music in so many surprising directions, that each track is an adventure. That’s the short of it!
Positives:
Staccato horn hits, hip grooves, pulsing keyboards, buoyant roots reggae with just the right amount of R&B, make Marching Orders hit the “G” spot. Clean syncopated chordal guitar riffs with combined Hawaiian percussive effects and full background vocal harmonics, adding to the richness of each song, producing an innovative, imaginative sound that is full of good energy.
Bottom Line:
The Green continues to demonstrate why they are one of the most popular reggae bands in the United States with another hip collection of fourteen tunes. Busy Signal’s voice on the title track is melodious with just a hint of dance-hall essence. The Hawaiian good feelin’ essence that donates high-voltage reggae is alive here, and will transport you to exotic states of musical bliss.