Kora: Fifth Season (digital outlets)

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Dancing in the Rain
Kora: Fifth Season (digital outlets)

Last year Kora asked “politician, can you make a right decision for all of us? You can talk the talk, but can you walk the walk, will you bring us comfort?” Well, now they've got their answer.

Which might explain the opening track Revolution on this new album: “It's time for revolution, it's a struggle trying to find a solution”.

As with many bands with reggae in their lineage, their language and ethos is grounded in Rastafarianism. So the answer they give is a retreat from Babylon and that love is the key . . .  which might not actually be much of a solution and some might not see that as much of a revolution either.

But Kora are hear to cheer people up and the power ballad Dancing in the Rain (which actually uses the words “hooked upon a feeling”) certainly does that from its punchy beat to the cloud-piercing guitar solo. It's a song built big.

Elsewhere Kora deliver well crafted, feel-good pop which has all the hallmarks of classic Seventies sounds: U Wanna Give This Up with another very Seventies guitar part and Sandbox which hits a point between soul and funked-up yacht pop and another bristling guitar solo.

There's a heartfelt tribute to the late Aaron Tokona on Azza.

Overall the Doobie Brothers, Boston, King Harvest and the Isley Brothers seem major influences here, more than Brother Bob's "get up, stand up".

And thoughts of a revolution are retired after that opener and professional, agreeable and smart pop – with guest Tiki Taane on Bullrush for an urgent rap amidst the hard rock – is on the well produced menu.

That said, a lot of people are going to feast on this. Repeatedly.

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You can hear this album at Spotify here.

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