Keida ADD

Review

EP Review: Keida - Ebb & Flow

06/15/2015

by Larson Sutton

Keida’s Ebb & Flow EP dances in on the upbeat, opening its six-song set (seven if you count an added dub rendition of “Stand for Something”) with razor-blade horns and a steady stream of seductive drags off the end-word of several phrases throughout the 2013 single Ganja Tea. The Rory Stonelove-produced hit crackles over a half-time reggaeton groove, then gives way to an appeal to the conscious on Mad World, with filtered, auto-tuned injections jiving with organ stabs and programmed percussion. Not a re-imagining of the Bob Marley classic, though it does offer a passing lyrical reference, One Love is a bouncy and popping number introduced by math master Russell Bell, whose advocacy of youth employment casts him as an ideal voice of reason before the EP slides back to the festivities.

Employing clever melodic twists and turns that keep the rapidly passing lyrics from blurring, the staggered dancehall beat of Hot Ash kicks-off the second half with a sexualized spark. M-16, contrary to its suggestive title, uses hinting calypso sunshine and counterpoint major-key saxophone drops to accentuate a plea for peace, speaking to the at-risk facing the lure of crime as their path to survival. Modest and sparse, only drum, piano, and voice outfit Stand for Something on the album’s most direct and compelling message delivered, by prudent choice, with gentle authority rather than patronizing simplicity. Its sibling dub counterpart, through shifting channels and piles of reverb, present the finale more as a sonic exercise captained by producers Suns of Dub which includes Ras Jammy, Jah Bami, and Addis Pablo (son of the late, great Augustus Pablo) than an alternate version re-emphasizing the original intent.

On these half-dozen tracks, Keida provides ample indications of a developing world view, or at least community view, not so much abandoning her previous stylistic approach as allowing it to be utilized differently. Her words probe deeper, are more penetrating, even when she’s having fun. She can still sweet-talk, still unleash a torrent of verbal floodwater, but it’s the motivation to evoke change, to inspire, and to let her music be a weapon of good that balances the party with the progress. Ebb & Flow is an encouraging collection revealing Keida to be as provocative as she is talented.