Boz
Karma Knows ... (Island Estuary Music)
This is most certainly "inspirational" music. And if you know me, which by now ya'll kinda should, this is not my cup of Irish whiskey. However, because I'm nice enough to see past my personal record collection, this 14-tracker does have its highlights. This Boz feller has a voice on him, and his lyrical work is positive, which is nice to hear in the sea of negativity that generally is South Florida. This album is definitely for the Love 94 crowd. The duet with Robin Gallo, "How Long," and the duet with David Mikeal, "Rhema," are standout cuts, as is the title track. I can see Boz doing some rip-roaring country with that voice; yeah, that'd be the ticket.
Fitzroy
Paradise Low (Third Horizon)
A soothing blend of organic and digital landscapes join as the ground upon which self-described interstellar and savior of humanity Fitzroy walks. The 11 tracks on this debut album feature topnotch arrangements — and they better have, since Mr. Fitzroy (as Jason Jeffers) occasionally makes his living writing about music. Fans of hip-hop, reggae, samba, bajan jams, and even electronic music will find something to dig. The album is lush with orchestration boasting an even tone throughout. "So Low (Paradise Theme)," "Badman," and the local hit "Can't Keep Waiting" are faves.
Foreign Bodies
Never Ready (Sound Nutrition)
www.myspace.com/productionctrlsstaticshots
Friend and musician Ed Artigas (of Map of the Universe) casually advised me to turn down the volume whenever I decided to drop in this disc. I always listen to my friends, and that's a good thing in this case, because Foreign Bodies' debut EP is the most belligerent pointy-shoe kick in the fucking balls I've gotten in quite awhile. Woo-hoo! This is a nightmarish vision of hardcore punk rock, filtered through a garage version of heroin-made industrial while pecked by the experimentation bug as it all gurgles through a rusty pipe and into a very large broken speaker. I have a massive musical hard-on right now, and in the 15 minutes it has taken my balls to recoup, this fucker is already looped back for another kick. This is the shit from beginning to end. Buy! Consume! Fuck!
