Any frequenter of Fitzroy’s nightlife will be familiar with Kooyeh, the nine piece soul-reggae-band of smiles belting out ballads or crooning to skanking fans. Though you miss out on the odd choreographed dance move, Kooyeh’s first album Soul Cleansing translates the stage presence of members as interwoven as pipes on a 97 Windows screen saver.
The album plays breezily start to back. Their sound is a fluid tug-of-war between descending and ascending grooves that back drop tales thematic of love, freedom, and assessment of a modern commercial climate.
Out of the 13 tracks, four are standouts while the title track, although it may capture the albums essence, falls off comparatively. My Oh My keeps a steady waxing and waning beat and questions our constant need for communication through media. Nice “delivery’s free/Da liver is free” wordplay too. Haven’t Found A Lady is a cheeky, uplifting break up song about herbal methods of coping, sang in a Cee Lo Green twang. Woke Up In Babylon might be their most accomplished track. It highlights a moment of clarity in the realising that you might be a cog in a defunct machine and resonates beyond itself. Mountain Top is the Kooyeh anthem. A song about a longing for widespread nature by guys living in the city.
Production on the album is of note too as it is remarkably crisp for a band who are apparently used to performing in a home studio “made from 20 mattresses and a walled mish-mash of carpet”. Predominantly Reggae, and Dub, Soul Cleansing bypasses the monotony that hinder its parts and comes across as a versatile whole.
BY ROBERT BROWN
Best Track: Woke Up In Babylon
If You Like These, You’ll Like This: KORA, TRINITY ROOTS, SALMONELLA DUB, GOODIE MOB ERA, CEE LO GREEN hooks
In A Word: Lively
