Whilst at Boomtown 2 years ago I had the pleasure of meeting Katchafire and seeing them perform, I was incredibly happy after seeing their performance as they play so well together and the music and energy is great!. Hailing from Hamilton, New Zealand the Maori group have stamped their name in Reggae music. After making the move to all live together to pursue a music group, Katchafire have gone on to tour the world fusing R&B, Funk with essences of Dancehall. Having produced four successful albums and running out of room on the Awards shelf, 20 years of the band is to be celebrated on a Legacy tour and that brings us to this album.
by Liam Monaghan
Fyah In The Trenches
A chilled start to the album, Fyah in the trenches Is an easy listening piece which had that reggae tempo whilst there are clear elements of funk throughout the track. Theres a lot going on in the track but its not a mess, the vocals are soft and there are minimal harmonies. The title of the track is grabbing and the hook is a catchy one. Nice!
Love Today
Big fan of the bassline in this track, it reminds me of a classic riddim similar to Real Rock. An enjoyable love track from Katchafire, catchy hooks and nice harmonies. The beat is groovy and I like how the verses are broken down with just bass and drum allowing the vocals to be clear, a nice head bopping tune!
I Can Feel It A Lot
A sultry riddim in this track, quite simple though, some nice key work and some minimal drumming and not much guitar work at all. A huge sax solo is key and the star in this record, its always good to have various instruments to keep things fresh throughout tracks and one thing Katchafire do really well is making sure their songs differ in sound and attitude.
100
Broken down again keeping things sultry and suave, 100 is a an easy listening driving track. The beat is relaxed and minimal. Their love for R&B reflects in this track, the whole vibe screams a classic R&B style. The story throughout this track is an interesting one filled with emotion and passion, a nice song.
Walk With Me Ft Notis Rockaz
First collab on the album and we’ve gone reggae reggae. Horns Horns Horns and we welcome back Mr wandering bass. The riddim is slow, deep and has some weight behind it, which gives platform for the vocals and to keep things authentic we welcome Notis Heavyweight Rockaz onto the riddim which just perks everything up! The only negative is that Notis isn’t brought in till late on and there’s only a tiny bit from him!
Aint Gonna Give Up Ft Anuhea
Next collab is up and Anuhea, not an artist I was instantly familiar with. In terms of collaborations, Katchafire could pretty much go in a multiple direction with who they could invite onto a track due to the multiple influences they have in their sound. A nice record and Anuhea has a stunning voice, she has a new fan!
Wasted
Is this a ska style tempo we have? Yes, upbeat vibes from katchafire on this record. Another summer jam, this track takes you to a field with overpriced food and drink and the sun is beating down! I really like the chorus on this one, definitely the live track that would get everyone moving. The chorus is catchy and is the memorable so expect to be humming.
Other tracks on the album include, One more Day, Luv Plan, Living As 1, Addicted and Way Beyond. The album is a nice easy listen and capture Katchafire’s sound and style. Is this an album that projects 20 years of the band? Yes. It has all the influences that the band have which reflects in the music. I definitely recommend seeing them live on the big Legacy tour, you wont be disappointed.
