Rebel Sound Records, the American label which recently offered us 'Just Passing Through', the new album by rocksteady duo Keith & Tex, now also presents releases by Jus Goodie and Oogee Wawa. Jus Goodie (born Justin Goodman), a singer of Jewish origin from Detroit, vocally holds the middle between Rebelution's Eric Rachmany and Fenton Wardle of Reggae Angels, and even though in our opinion his lyrics could benefit from being less simplistic ("With Jah by my side, I know I'll be alright; He's with me day and night..." from 'Jah By My Side' or "This is no ordinary love, your love was sent down from above…" from 'Ordinary Love'), sound-wise 'On Time' leaves little to be desired. Our favorite from the track list is 'So Nice', a song in which Jus Goodie aptly describes what a song can do to a person.
Of a very different order is 'More Sand Than Money' by Oogee Wawa, a Long Island based band fusing elements from reggae, (punk) rock and hip-hop into an energetic mix. With lyrics like: "Through my sunglasses I saw you, and after a drink or two, your body looked real nice and cute ... Let me fuck you!" ('Badrinath'), or "Late night, chilling with my crew; so fucked up, don't know what to do." ('Late Night'), 'More Sand Than Money' felt like the ideal soundtrack for drunken spring breakers (vacation period in early spring at universities and schools in the US) or stoned surfers, and outside the US will probably mostly appeal to a younger audience.