The Elements, The Brightness (FireAirWaterEarth Productions)


In this day and age of global snipe hunts for weapons of mass destruction, you can never have too many soul-connecting messages such as “Love has no master / Love is the answer” or the simply put amen of all amens, “Stop the madness.” John Haas, the Baton Rouge reggae ensemble’s native-born Cuban, Haitian-bred vocalist, unleashes the right amount of angst and despair that further seals the already heartfelt ideological messages with the utmost conviction. Yet, it’s not all deadlocked in dreadlocks either. Ironically, the flash-danciest track of ’em all is the merengue-spiced, Spanish-sung “Se Acabo” that adds an uncharacteristic yet novel touch to the proceedings. The last two tracks, the dub (instrumental) pieces, are practically worth the price of admission alone. As parts surreally float in and out of listener consciousness, the earlier delivered socially consciousness messages never dissipate from the airwaves.