By Dusty Ray
Green River Vibe has an ear for the lighter side of reggae music. They effectively recreate this sound through influences of other re-creators, like Sublime and Slightly Stoopid. It’s tough to emulate a music so separated from your own experiences as a kid living in Colorado, but bands before them have done so successfully – Taking the strife-ridden, downtrodden revolutionary content of ‘70s Jamaican reggae and synthesizing it into something easily swallowed by partying teenagers.
Sun Comes Up is a party album, with track titles like “When It All Goes Down,” “Noise Noise Noise,” and the more obvious “We Like To Party.” This is definitely a good album to put on while you and your underage friends stress about buying beer or figuring out how to have a good time.
“When It All Goes Down” is a reverb-heavy track that borrows a lot from early dub music. The vocals drift between hip-hop and soft, singer-songwriter juiciness. The reggae vibe permeates the album, and there is only slight deviation from it in the tracks “So Be at Peace,” “Sweet Summertime Darlin’” and the closing track “Play Around (It Ain’t A Chore).” These tracks reveal the jammy, bluesy side of Green River Vibe.
Sun Comes Up is definitively Colorado reggae. The lyrical content is less about social injustice and oppression (though these themes do appear) and more about having a fun time with your friends. What it lacks in substance, it makes up for in goofy charm. If you like to dance and/or party, pick up Sun Comes Up – it will bring a little life into your living room.
greenrivervibe.bandcamp.com
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