Unity Reggae Band: Urban Music
Label: Self-Issued Web: unityreggaeband.com
By Michael Macey.

The call for brotherly love is the central theme of Unity Reggae Band's Urban Music. Mixing it up with songs of social consciousness, love and " can't we all just get along" pleas, Urban Music is reggae and ska with a lot of heart and soul. From the opening track, What Is Happening? where they proclaim, "when we rise up as one, don't you know, we can make the world better, yeah?" to Peace, Love and Harmony and its "we've got to learn to love one another. We must have peace, so we can live together. And when we can live together, then we'll have harmony. And when we have harmony then we'll all be free" theme, it's evident these guys are on a mission to spread the word. In Belly Of The Beast they state "We are livin' in the belly of the beast; prison of hypocrisy, shackles of deceit. But you know that when the beast gets fatter; oh yeah, I said the people get madder." Its basic message is keep on keepin' on in the face of adversity, and education is key in the struggle for peace and justice. Tragedy at 6:00 is a shot at the media that brings the world into millions of homes every night. Attacking the "if it bleeds, it leads" philosophy of the evening news, the song breaks into a rap that proclaims among other things "I got no more surprise at the way they capitalize every time someone cries, every time someone dies." Incorporating familiar news sound bites, it's the most overtly political song on the album. On a cheerier note, we have Hey Sunshine, a love song to that big yellow ball in the sky, and For a Little While, a funky number that settles into a nice groove and ends much too soon. My Time with You, Lovely and Are You My Lady? deal with relationship conflicts. Dinosaurs, Videos and Hospital Floors details a child's hospital stay and how people process and deal with painful memories. One People closes out the album with more of the unity theme and a proclamation for "Don't give up the fight, stand up for what's right".
Urban Music sounds great. Produced by the band, the sound is full and rich with a lot of bottom end. Instruments are very well mixed and placed, with a lot of punch to the horns. Overall, the record has a nice tight sound.
Unity Reggae Band's name is their message. The message is plain and simple. Urban Music is the medium they use to deliver that message. It's full of great rhythms, excellent playing and a viewpoint that is easy to embrace. It's also a viewpoint we could all use a little more of.