May 15, 2009

Westbound Train – Come And Get It (2009)

The latest band I have been loving a whole lot recently has been Westbound Train. One of Hellcat's newest releases, Hellcat Records being one of my all time favorite labels, so I had to check these guys out and have been thoroughly impressed. They are the perfect summer time band, as their style reminds me of an ice cold Pacifico on a hot summer day, both refreshing and intoxicating. Obi Fernandez is the vocalist, and also plays the trombone which I find to be pretty fucking sweet. The boys out of Boston are primarily a ska band, with a definite Motown feel, something they mix into their reggae vibe very seamlessly. The ska side is best represented on tracks like "Check Your Time", my favorite song. Then they get very R&B with jams like "Ain't Gonna Be Easy". Their bio on the Hellcat Records website compares them to Otis Redding, which I feel is right on the money. Then they sort of blend the two styles together, see "Salvation". Awesome lyrics accompany the smooth groove, so if you're looking for a fresh summer time band to kick off the 09' sunshine, I would say run, don't walk, to pick up the appropriatly titled Come and Get It by Westbound Train.

*I also really liked the album art in case all those album art critics were wondering!

3 Comments:

awmercy said...

Otis Redding ska - intriguing. I'll have to check it out.

sandenuts said...

"What You Need" is another good example of the Otis Redding sound

Mona said...

Haha, love the *

I was going to comment on it myself. Looks like a dream sequence! Carl Jung would probably dig the cover too :)