
Three Houses Down: Dreadtown
By Rachel Fallon
When I first saw this roots/reggae 12-piece live, I was blown away how tightly they played together and the quality of musicianship in such a new band. Turns out they were friends and family who had been jamming out of the limelight, three houses down from each other for years. Now they have a debut album, amazingly recorded in five days at York Street Studios with Nic Manders, produced by David Allan and the band. Lead singer Charlie Pome’e’s vocals have a rich roughness, reminiscent of old skool Jamaican style, with harmonious backing vocals and three-part horn sections filling out the sound beautifully. The cover sleeve includes all the lyrics written by various band members and friends, they are thought provoking, poetic and socially conscious. My favourite track is the mellow Duty Solicitor with its hooky chorus that had me singing all day. Released on A Moving Production label and distributed by EMI, this lively, professional on all levels, top quality CD, should definitely help project these guys to local reggae superstardom.