Rising Tide - Rising Tide (Soulbeats Records)

Judging from the line-up (Marcus Urani - keys, Ryan Newman - bass, Kim Pommell - vocals, Kerry Ann Morgan - vocals, Sherida Sharpe - vocals, Paul Spina - drums, Jason Robinson - saxophone and flute), a mix of current and former Groundation-members supplemented with the guitar sounds of Yotam Silberstein, one could simply state Rising Tide is just Groundation minus Harrison Stafford, but that might be a bit too short-sighted. If you just think away Stafford's characteristic voice, the songs on 'Rising Tide' also sound quite Groundation-like, albeit perhaps even a tad jazzier here and there ('Positive Vibes', 'Time Bomb', 'Young Strong And Beautiful'). For this project, described by the band members as an ode to nature and mother earth, Rising Tide also invited a number of guest vocalists: well-known names are Soldiers Of Jah Army lead vocalist Jacob Hemphill and French singer Naâman, but Jamaican singer-songwriter Paul 'Lymie' Murray (a past member of Freddie McGregor's Skool Band) and Roselyn Williams, best known as a backing vocalist with Damian Marley, also make an appearance. In conclusion we'd like to add that fans of animation should definitely check out the clips accompanying 'Seven Times Rise' and 'Is It Right', the first by Stan Walbert and Stello Productions and the latter produced by Michael Alcaras and based on the artwork of Dolores Urani.