Title - 'Universal Light'
Artist - Highest Intention
For those not in the know, much like myself, Highest Intention is a vintage Roots Reggae Revival band that hails from the San Francisco Bay Area.
Their sound is locally grounded and globally appealing, bringing to mind artists like Sublime, 311, and even Bob Marley.
Formed in 2012 by guitar player and singer Ben "Down" Lowe, Highest Intetnion has performed alongside countless Reggae greats and established themselves as a local favorite; conveying a message of love and unity with a clean and fundamentally modern Roots Reggae sound.
Their highly anticipated debut album Universal Light has just been released this past March 22nd, 2019 worldwide to stores and can also now be found online.
This stunning debut is a solid release that honors the tradition of Jamaican Roots music while also forging it's own brand of progressive Reggae for the new millennium.
1. 'Morning Light' (FT. Karim Israel)
2. 'Fat One'
3. 'Ocean'
4. 'Vibes'
5. 'Riverside'
6. 'Dive in' (FT. Lindsay Stubblefield)
7. 'Escape'
8. 'Sky'
9. 'Bingi'
10. 'Universal Light'
11. 'Hold Your Own Love'
12. 'Reggae Paradise'
13. 'Time So Slow'
The album, which combines unique and thoughtful songwriting with heavy one drop beats, deep intoxicating bass lines, live horns, and vintage dub style effects featuring sound man Aaron Dahl (M.I.A., Wiz Khalifa), is a collection of 13 tracks that fairly strive to ensure that the best they can be is laid bare for the world to acknowledge.
Indeed, Lowe himself says, "The idea behind Highest Intention is to make music that can heal people and make them feel better, and that's the highest intention for music I can think of. Our music aims to be clean, natural, fluid and graceful."
Featuring guest producer Ces-One (J-Boog) and guest musicians Raleigh Neal (Michael Franti), Paul Wolstencroft (Slightly Stoopid), Toho Saunders (President Brown), and many more, the album kicks off with one of my own favorites, 'Morning Light.'
With lead vocals from Karim Israel (Arise Roots), it's his lyrics combined with the precise, melodic and free flowing piano work from KBong (Stick Figure) that make the track as engrossing as it is.
Indeed, and furthermore, each and every track on Universal Light come together to provide the listener with not only the most purest of traditional Reggae, but a wickedly coherent social statement also.
Amazon CD Purchase Link
www.HighestIntentionBand.com
Highest Intention @ Facebook!