K-Gi - Migration

Hear The Track Here

K-Gi is a Canadian artist I have only recently become aware of, although the music he makes has much more in common with yeah mon, blues skies, sunny climates and sandy beaches. A far cry, you might think, from the normal lumberjack image most of us usually associate with that country. In my very 'umble opinion, I think you can blame that social conditioning on a python called Monty and his ariel circus not - for the moment anyway - on my usual slack gob. The first thing you may notice about K-Gi's work is how gloriously stuffed with technical ability - production and performance.

There again, if you have a look at his webpage, you'll see the answer why. K-Gi is a working musician (a rare thing these days apparently) and it shows in every note and nuance. It also goes some way to explaining why I singled him out for special praise in my end of year review 2006, earning the man a Track Of The Year 2006 with his exceptional Dutty Water. That, my friends, is getting it right first time out. There again, when you have this amount of experience at your fingertips, it also means that people are going to expect more with each succeeding track and only the rare ones - such as K-Gi - have the longevity. It's especially important when dealing with anything in any way reggae, as the man amply displays (at least IMO on Dutty Water).

Migration is a totally different beast.

My first and only real gripe is that some of the sounds used were very toneless, and I suspect that some of these sounds are ether 'factory' samples and/or some kind of MIDI rendering. That, for me, spoils this otherwise pristine track - a track that is quite a way removed from the highly polished Dutty Water. It doesn't feature K-Gi's best asset - his voice, and that also detracts from Migrations impact. It's essentially a reggae based jazzy workout, the sort of thing a band may play to get warmed up and - to my ears anyway - I hear some of the influences this guy uses in his normal (he works on cruise ships) working life. None of which should detract from the enjoyment of the musical wonders on this track. Whatever you might think about this or that niggle, here is a musician who can really play...

Nice reggae/jazz blend that is light on the ears. Recommended.