I’ll preface this by saying I’m not usually a fan of reggae. Somewhere between the Richard Marx I heard as a child (thanks dad), to the Blink-182 I devoured as a teen and pretty much anything you find on Happy I listen to now, the genre hasn’t snuck it’s way in there. But as a god damn professional, and keeping in line with the unofficial Australian credo, I’ll give anything a go. So going into the new Centre and the South single Take It As It Comes I took the YOLO nature the song title suggests.
Love your roots and reggae? Then put listening the new Centre and the South tune Take It As It Comes at the top of your to do list and get to a show.
Centre and the South are a cruisey eight-piece, hailing from Melbourne. Their music is a fusion of roots and reggae, a sound they’ve been working on since their formation in 2009. Their last single Feel That Flow was an impeccably smooth bastard, a trait the band hasn’t lost on their new single Take It As It Comes.
After a few repeat listens the first thing that springs mind are those joyful Disney soundtracks like Hakuna Matata from the Lion King. No, Ferris Bueller isn’t providing BV’s, but it’s that carefree, sunny disposition that dominates Take It As It Comes.
Delve a little further beyond the sunshine and you’ll realise that Take It As It Comes is in fact a love song. No pining, no jealousy, no over the top promises that won’t be kept. It’s a fairly straightforward declaration that throws the melodrama out the window in exchange for the promise of blissful romance. The lyrics reflect this attitude well; “If you wana be with me / Come on right now and let’s be free.” The nature of romance is such a thing that has warranted many depictions in song. In this case, it’s a picture of wanderlust.
The track was produced at Soundplant Productions with Michael Cristiano. There are a lot of elements at play within the song, all centred around the bopping bass. The MVP here are the horns that take the reigns towards the end. Nothing says party time like some quality brass.
Take It As It Comes is the first cut from their debut album Yadah. The 12 track LP was recorded with Cristiano, and also includes some guest vocals from Lisa Edwards on Sweet Spirit. If you love your roots and reggae be sure to catch the band when they head out on their east coast tour.
Tuesday January 26 – Globe To Globe World Music Festival, Melbourne free entry, all ages
Friday January 29 – The Westernport Hotel, San Remo, Vic, free entry, 18+
Thursday February 4 – El Toppo Basment, Bondi, free entry, 18+
Saturday February 6 – The Small Ball Room with Jucy Lucy & The Buzzard Mix, Newcastle, 18+
Thursday February 11 – St Kilda Festival Live N Local with SlowJaxx & The Kozmic Love Orkestra, St Kilda, free entry, 18+
Friday February 26 -The Loft with Special guests, Warnambool, 18+
Saturday February 27 – The Stump, Port Fairy, free entry, 18+
Thursday March 3 – The Toff In Town with Echo Drama & Ras Jahknow, Melbourne, 18+
