Dat Iz Voodoo

A lot of rewarding music has come from Trinidad over the years (mainly calypso, soca, and steel band performances). But that Caribbean country has never been known for its abundance of alternative rock (at least as of early 2009). Regardless, Orange Sky is an alternative rock/alternative metal/funk-rock band from Trinidad, and their funkiness continues to serve them well on their second album, Dat Iz Voodoo. Many reviews of Orange Sky's work have described them as a more Caribbean-sounding version of Living Colour; that description isn't off the mark, and Living Colour is, in fact, a prominent influence on this 2009 release. But there are many other direct or indirect influences on Dat Iz Voodoo as well. Essentially, the sound on this album is Living Colour meets 24-7 Spyz meets Fishbone meets Sublime with hints of Black Sabbath at times; that is a healthy combination of influences to have, although Orange Sky are more consistently mindful of Afro-Caribbean music than any of the abovementioned bands have been (even Sublime). Dat Iz Voodoo doesn't beat listeners over the head with the Afro-Caribbean element; sometimes, you have to look for it, but it is always there to some degree nonetheless — and it helps Orange Sky to project an appealing identity of their own on melodic yet hard-driving tracks such as "Psycho World," "Dark Room," "Yesterdays and Tomorrows," and "The End" (not to be confused with the Doors' 1967 classic). Although original material dominates Dat Iz Voodoo, Orange Sky also provide an intriguing cover of the Scorpions' "Is There Anybody There?" — and in Orange Sky's hands, the song rocks equally hard but acquires something it didn't have before: a reggae beat. Actually, the intrigue factor is high throughout Dat Iz Voodoo, which is an excellent sophomore outing from Orange Sky.