Mellow Mood - Large (La Tempesta Dischi)

As the saying goes: "Never change a winning team!", so Jacopo and Lorenzo 'L.O.' Garzia once again joined forces with producer Paolo Baldini. The result is a very solid old school reggae album with a solid focus on drums (Antonio Cicci) and bass (Giulio Frausin). Some tracks on 'Large' might benefit from a bit more explanation… 'Ms. Mary' might have been the title of a ganja tune, but is in fact a song about a landlady who has a distinct dislike for reggae music and dreadlocks, and in a broader sense is of course a comment on the growing intolerance in our society in which standing out from the crowd is more and more frowned upon. Then there's 'Daddy', Jacopo and Lorenzo's gripping tribute to their father. For the somewhat dancehall-flavored sound anthem 'String Up A Sound', standing out in the track list as it's got a faster pace and sounds more festive than the rest of the tracks on 'Large', Mellow Mood recycled the intro of Sierra Leone's Refugee All Stars' 'Mother In Law', and if you pay close attention you'll 'Ms. Mary' is given a mention in this song as well. Other highlights include 'Tuff Rocky Road', a song about the trials of life, title track 'Large', a reference to the English expression "living large", and a critique on over-consumption in Western society, and 'Another Day', a tune with a riddim featuring a small metal xylophone, and in which the twins express their gratitude for life. The Twinz are back, 'Large' up Mellow Mood!