Kevin Batchelor
Batchelor Party

Lucky for Kevin Batchelor, a well-respected and well-traveled musician, I got my hands on a copy of Batchelor Party, a Living Room Records release containing twelve tracks and a ton of musicians. I got the disc from Marguerite of SnowWhite Entertainment, who assisted with Batchelor’s CD release party, held on March 21, 2006. Hosted by Kevin Batchelor, who has toured with bands such as Steel Pulse and The Skatalites, this release contains a solid mix of ska and reggae to create the framework for impressive vocal harmonies and horn parts. While the grooves can sometimes be a little repetitive, the flow of the disc as a whole is very impressive, throwing out a variety of tempos to move your feet to.

The first track, “All My Tears,” is an excellent kick-off track, featuring an up-tempo reggae groove that’s ridden with KB’s soulful vocals and excellent accompaniment. The background vocals are perfectly harmonized, and additional synthesizer parts add a professional and smooth touch to the creation. While there aren’t any horn parts in this track, an excellent guitar solo provides an interlude that keeps the track interesting. “Things You Say You Love” comes in with a guitar part that seems to choose some questionable notes, but more intense backing vocals for KB’s excellent voice and smooth horn accompaniment provide additional harmonic structure that masks this aspect perfectly. Regardless of the melodic lead in the individual tracks on the disc, every bass and percussion part seems to carry an uninterrupted and well-accented groove that’s essential for the styles presented. “Riding High” is one of my favorites on Batchelor Party, starting with a smooth guitar lead and flowing into harmonized vocals, with background parts that give the entire song a really ambient feel. The production quality is perfect, but this comes to the forefront, taking anything raw out of the track. However, “Beards Man Shuffle” is exactly the opposite. The ska-paced instrumental is somewhat simplistic in melody, but what it doesn’t have in complexity, it makes up for with horn blend and outstanding solo capability. Sax, trumpet, and trombone all make an appearance individually, exemplifying the capabilities of the individual musicians selected for the composition.

While I like “Beards Man Shuffle,” I absolutely love “Way Back Home,” a well-produced and excellently played instrumental that almost double-times a reggae tempo in the percussion while retaining a danceable groove. Featuring another three-horn combination and two keyboard players, a ton of individual aspects are added into one track while making sure they all compliment one another for another perfectly professional result. “Barbary Coast – Engine 54” features Mikey Jarrett, an ambitious vocalist who adds a lot to the track, but is mixed so high that his voice sticks out, taking a away slightly from another one of the disc’s amazing reggae grooves. Along with a sax solo, Kevin Batchelor shows off his trumpeting abilities with his own feature, overdubbed with additional trumpet tracks for an excellent harmonic result. “Feel Good All Over” has another featured vocalist, Kim Miller, whose voice blends perfectly with Batchelor’s for a track full of vocal excellence not to be missed. In “Tear Drops Falling,” vocals once again take the forefront as both the Batchelor’s lead and all of the surrounding harmonies carry the track from inception to completion. “On The Beach” is definitely my favorite track on the release, an upbeat and driven reggae track that makes you smile while you’re grooving along. While this serves as another example of perfect vocal lead and harmonization, the entire groove couldn’t more complete, with two guitar players, keys, bass, and drums in perfect blend and balance. Rounding out the disc is the reggae excellence of “Walk The Streets,” an instrumental, “Heavier Than Lead – Red Ash,” a tribute to Mark Letford, and a dub mix of the track “Barbary Coast.”

Jam-packed with twelve tracks of reggae and ska, this release, featuring the talents of approximately 20 musicians, is something to be heard track for track and critiqued in the same fashion. While all are presented in the best of recording quality, each is extremely different due to the contributions of all of these renowned professional artists. I definitely recommend checking Batchelor Party out, and checking out Kevin Batchelor if you ever venture into New York City, where he and his gang of reggae pros are waiting to show off their stuff. Also, check KB out on tour with The Skatalites, where he contributes both his trumpet and vocal abilities.

Reviewed By:  Todd Springer

Date:  Sat 2 Sep 06

Score:  8.0

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