Canadian Afro-beat and funk band Souljazz Orchestra have been at it for more than a decade and show no sign of slowing down. In fact, their latest album Resistance, seems to have invigorated the band even more, stepping up their high-energy African funk sound yet another notch. They've made vocals at high priorty for this album too, with every member of the six person band taking a turn at singing and rapping on this album. The lyrics are political and hard hitting, which is pretty typical for Afro-Beat and reggae, and there's a lot of reggae on this album too. “Shock and Awe”, in particular, has a manic, ska-based feel to it, with the “pick it up, pick it up” chorus repeated through the song. “Courage” has an electro-funk tinge to it, as with the Afro-funk soaked “Kossa Kossa". The lead track, “Greet the Dawn”, is a great stand out track too, with a driving Afro-beat horn section and reggae grooves. Overall, the album is full of driving percussion, horns and calls to action, it practically compels you to get out of your seat and dance, or get into the street with several hundred of your friends and protest for change. The album doesn't slow down much until the last track, “It's Gonna Rain”, which caps off the album with a soulful vibe. Excellent album, as always, from TSO.

By Steve Marlow
Nov 8, 2015