Record Label: Neptune Entertainment
Genre: Reggae
Band Link: http://www.onedropreggae.com
Buy on Amazon.com

One Drop was nice enough to send me their previous album Mission Blvd, but I saw their new album “Black Book Diaries” was on Spotify so I decided to review that one instead. If you’re interested in laid-back reggae rock similar to Steel Pulse, Dennis Brown and The Police, you’ll enjoy this band!

One Drop hails from San Diego and I’m sure some people will compare them to bands like Sublime and Slightly Stoopid, which is fine but I think their music is something more than just stoner rock. These guys are reggae and know how to do it well. The vocalist reminded me a bit of Don Carlos. As soon as I heard him sing, he came to mind. One Drop play the roots reggae, the stuff from the 70s and 80s that I love. It’s something about that era of reggae that is the best.

The opening track “Devil on the Pulpit” is nice way to start off an album. Catchy lyrics, awesome beats and makes you want to hear more. Thankfully that’s the first track so there’s 15 other tracks. “My Best Friend’s Woman” is your standard reggae song, until there’s a cool flute solo in there. You don’t hear that every day in your reggae music. Speaking of the flute, the band does an outstanding cover of Men at Work’s “Down Under.” I love the original song but this is one killer cover! There’s an English and Spanish version of the song “More Than A Landscape,” which is another highlight. What are they trying to be, Big Mountain? haha. “Favorite Lover” stands out because it sounded like something from Al Jarreau, but reggae style.

The summer is practically over, but that doesn’t mean you can’t listen to reggae throughout the fall and winter. In fact, winter time is when I listen to reggae the most because it makes me want the summer to be here. Black Book Diaries is everything I like in reggae so I definitely enjoyed this release from One Drop.

Bottom Line: Need to find some new reggae music? Look no further!
Notable Tracks: Devil on the Pulpit, More Than A Landscape, Down Under, Favorite Lover
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