Reggae Angels - Balance

   Reggae Angels - Balance (www.reggaeangels.com)
                                            Rating - 10/10

                Balance is the 11th album of the bay area's favorites The Reggae Angels. The album contains greatly written songs, some of the best musicianship the bay area has to offer, and the trademark Reggae Angels horn section and 3 part harmonies.

            The album Opens with the title track Balance , which is an anthem of moderation and living a well-centered life. What really catches the listener in this song is the lead violin, played by Laurie Lewis. The next track is Please Our Lord, a nice track with a lot of keyboards in the background for an interesting effect. Go With the Flow is a relaxed song about letting Jah lead the way, and simply rolling with the flow. the slide guitar on this track a very nice touch.

            Although it is hard to pick a favorite song,  Good Vibes is definitely one of the stand-out tracks on this album. With Chinna Smith on guitar, Melanie and Lieba Hibbert on harmony vocals, this song is pure niceness (not to mention it features the late great Augustus Pablo). The intro keyboard really hooks you and the rest of the song keeps you listening. For the love is a great highlight of the musicianship on the album. Lead Guitar and harmony vocals, with extremely steady drumming make this track very enjoyable. Where Is The Love is another favorite, with a sped up tempo, horn section at it's finest, Wadi Gad's extraordinary drumming, and Tchiya Amet on harmony vocals. "Where is the love in the people, with faith and manners love will come, how are we treating one another, do good deeds and Jah will bring the Love". This song is a crowd favorite at shows and always gets people moving.

             Push On opens up with a great guitar part in the background mixed with a keyboard opening, which blends together almost perfectly. the horns and keyboard mix very nicely throughout the song. Divine Decree spotlights the horn section and the 3 part harmonies in a sublime way. The Message of the song is that Jah controls everything, and that He knows what is best for mankind. around 3 minutes into the song there is a great horn solo. The Truth Level has a great mixture of keyboards and hand percussion. The vibe of the song makes it among my personal favorites on the album. Divine Wisdom starts out with a midi-esque keyboard line, followed by the song kicking in, including a very complex drum part played by Alton "SanDrum" Van Horne.  Help us Jah is an plea for help to the Almighty. the guitar solo 2 minutes into the song is one of the standout parts of this track. God's Grace is the most relaxed track on the album, with the instrumentation consisting of hand percussion. Without a doubt this song was the best choice for closing the album.

            Overall, this album is among the best of the vast catalog of the Reggae Angels. It is available at www.ebreggae.com, along with other albums by the Reggae Angels. Bay Area Reggae highly recommends this album.