Th3rd Coast Roots - Not Afraid EP (Roots Musician Records)

The name of the band refers to the American south coast, which, after the east and west coast, is considered the third coast of the United States. For their sound Th3rd Coast Roots mixes reggae with influences from rock, hip-hop and pop, but what really sets this band apart is the combination of the voices of vocalist Marisa Garza and vocalist/guitarist Jayton Lening. 'Not Afraid' was produced by E.N. Young and the recordings took place in his Imperial Sounds Studio, resulting in 6 vocal cuts, an acoustic song and two dubs. In the first half of dubby opener 'Not Afraid', Jayton Lening takes care of lead vocals and E.N. Young can also be heard, blowing along on his trusted melodica, but in the last part of the song the voice of Marisa Garza can also be heard. In lovers tune 'Move It Like That', featuring highly enjoyable piano riffs by Chris Ranew, only Lening's voice can be heard. The same goes for the similar but slightly more poppy sounding 'Dial Up My Number'. But Chris and Marisa regroup for the enjoyable 'Guardian Angel', in which Mike Ferrara's weeping guitar also catches the ear. With 'Biscuits & Gravy' we get even more pop and Jayton even throws in some raps; not immediately our favorite song on this EP. This also applies to the acoustic 'Closer', singer-songwriter folk rather than reggae. Remains: 'Under The Influence', which sounds like the better Californian surf-reggae, and two closing dubs, once again excellent work by E.N. Young and definitely the absolute highlights on this EP.