Ska Rapples - Wind Divine

Hear The Track Here

A new disguise for an old Soundclick veteran, Ska Rapples is the bandname of one Road Apples whom we have come across before in a couple of guises; Road Apples, Sad Hill Cemetery and isn't he also a bit of A Cry Of Hounds? Yep, that's the man. Over the few tracks of his (in all his guises) I have reviewed I have gained much respect for his willingness to rock out, and his taste in who to rock out with. At first I was under the impression that the Ska Rapples name was just a pun and nothing to do with the musical genre which - to be honest - I would never have associated Road Apples with. Well, more fool me because Wind Divine is both billed as reggae and worthy of both its ska and reggae claims.

Just so you know how much it pains me to say that, be aware that my own main genre is right here and (in the RW) have had some success with it and I am super-critical of getting it right. Although Road Apples, like me I suppose, can't help but show his white boy rock roots but instrumentally a lot of this track is right on the money. One of my earliest crazes was for the sound of the inimitable Augustus Pablo who pioneered the use of one of reggae's all time trademark instruments - the melodica. Road Apples has managed to capture exactly that sound and it is a major feature of Wind Divine and my own personal favourite bit. There again, Road Apples being the musician he is, there are more than one favourite bits and it is going to depend on what you like I suppose.

Structurally, as a song and a performance, it has more to do with UB40 ska-pop or even - at a pinch - Police when they did the genre properly. It's also an absolute perfect cross between reggae and ska that kept me bopping along every time it came up in the playlist. Now I am bound to favour this kind of track, it's a genre I genuinely love, and Road Apples has shown his respect for it with this excellent track. For sure it's catchy and poppy enough to snag a few casual listeners but once that initial buzz has worn off, the tracks warmth and energy doesn't and that is rare, especially when this is not your native genre. Personally I can only stand here and nod wisely at Road Apples for not taking the easy way out, good catch that man.

MUST HAVE pop ska/reggae.