Jah Wobble and the Invaders of the Heart - Ocean Blue Waves

by Lisa Torem

published: 5 / 5 / 2020

Jah Wobble and the Invaders of the Heart - Ocean Blue Waves

Label: Jah Wobble Records
Format: CD

British bassist Jah Wobble & The Invaders of the Heart explore multiple genres on their new album

Review

Fresh off the heels of a successful January tour in the UK, British bassist/arranger Jah Wobble and the Invaders of the Heart have released a sparkling seven-track album entitled ‘Ocean Blues Waves.’ Besides the renowned bassist, the other players are: George King (keyboards), Martin Chung (guitar) and Marc Layton-Bennet (drums). Bringing their best traits to the table, the result is a swirling dervish; a multiple-styled epic featuring unprecedented songwriting. The lyric, “Sonny, just run away” starts off the mesmerizing ‘Fly Away.’ The mind-expanding and pulsating bass connects each verse with magnetic pull. The faint, at first, keyboards quickly step up with unanticipated flair. The gutsy outro features a delirious cluster of vocals, light percussion and a recapitulation of King’s fluid keyboards. The rootsier ‘Take My Hand’ is rife with optimistic imagery. “Empty mind is there to fly,” the story posits. Chung’s instrumental leaps abound; Layton-Bennet’s dramatic drum rolls appear suspended in time. “Take me to the golden land where life is sweet and love expands” is merely one example of the engaging lyricism. On the only instrumental and title-song, ‘Ocean Blues Waves,’ Jah Wobble’s truculent bass barrels through King’s old-school synth and Layton-Bennet’s rollicking beats with supreme confidence. In a flash, a labyrinthine line intercepts with revolutionary force, resulting in an airtight display of colour, texture and maniacal rhythm. The universe slows down fittingly for ‘Safe Passage,’ which is led by Jah Wobble’s classic determination. In stylistic contrast to the previous arrangements, this one-off assumes an eerie, yet steadfast glow., The spoken word story, ‘Minds Float Free Dub’, brims over with inventive and curious rhyme schemes. The instrumental to-and-fro take on a danceable buoyancy against a flurry of jazz/blues licks. Perplexing queries and urgent exclamations reveal an immutable poignancy. As the title forewarns, the closer, ‘Quirky Beats,’ is just that. Jarring blips and bleeps sidle up with perceptive percussion and an equally adventurous bottom. There are innumerable twists, as well, to behold. Bravo to Jah Wobble & The Invaders of the Heart for this richly textured beauty