A lot of rewarding music has come from Trinidad over the years (mainly calypso, soca, and steel band performances). But that Caribbean country has never been known for its abundance of alternative rock (at least as of early 2009). Regardless,
Orange Sky is an alternative rock/alternative metal/funk-rock band from Trinidad, and their funkiness continues to serve them well on their second album,
Dat Iz Voodoo. Many reviews of
Orange Sky's work have described them as a more Caribbean-sounding version of
Living Colour; that description isn't off the mark, and
Living Colour is, in fact, a prominent influence on this 2009 release. But there are many other direct or indirect influences on
Dat Iz Voodoo as well. Essentially, the sound on this album is
Living Colour meets
24-7 Spyz meets
Fishbone meets
Sublime with hints of
Black Sabbath at times; that is a healthy combination of influences to have, although
Orange Sky are more consistently mindful of Afro-Caribbean music than any of the abovementioned bands have been (even
Sublime).
Dat Iz Voodoo doesn't beat listeners over the head with the Afro-Caribbean element; sometimes, you have to look for it, but it is always there to some degree nonetheless -- and it helps
Orange Sky to project an appealing identity of their own on melodic yet hard-driving tracks such as "Psycho World," "Dark Room," "Yesterdays and Tomorrows," and "The End" (not to be confused with
the Doors' 1967 classic). Although original material dominates
Dat Iz Voodoo,
Orange Sky also provide an intriguing cover of
the Scorpions' "Is There Anybody There?" -- and in
Orange Sky's hands, the song rocks equally hard but acquires something it didn't have before: a reggae beat. Actually, the intrigue factor is high throughout
Dat Iz Voodoo, which is an excellent sophomore outing from
Orange Sky. ~ Alex Henderson