Dreadzone
For A Reason
Monday 26th of January 2009
Dreadzone are one of those bands whose name has floated about in the musical ether since forever. Apart from their top twenty single 'Little Britain', of 1995, they have never really broken from their fun-lovin'-dub-bubble. John Peel cited their Second Light album as one of his top ten of all time.
Nevertheless, they have remained little more than a festival circuit, crusties favourite, live act. 'For a Reason' is a shining example of why they continue to stay just that.
You may be struck with déjà vu upon listening. It is replete with the same artificial jovialness of 'Little Britain'. The orchestral phrasing, the dub undertones, the get up and go rhythmic pulses. It's all there, like in a dream. But this time, it's got even more, how shall I say, cheesy.
'For a reason' does flow with positivity and nowt' wrong with that. Lyrically, they dwell on the thematic standards of hope and happiness, however, they delve no deeper than that. The vocal-led pop sensibility is reminiscent of the early 60's, all American pop sound, which lumps an unwanted amount of sugary sweetness into the mix.
Recently, I asked a Rasta what he thought of contemporary music, he replied:
"Babylon, man." I later went on to realise what he meant: Babylon is the commercial world. And this is what 'For a Reason' is. Babylon. It is stuffed full of contrived reggae and pop homogeny and lacks the spiritual authenticity of good dub music.
As Dreadzone hit the road this Christmas, this song will be a winter warmer for the die hards. For the uninitiated, it will be nothing more than a clucking turkey.
Author: Jamie S
Label: Self-Released
Found in: Record Reviews
Official Rating
We rated this record 2.5 out of 5.