MAGIC
Primary Colours
(Sony Music Canada)
By Keith Sharp
So the big question surrounding the release of this Toronto band’s sophomore release, `Primary Colours’ was, how could they possibly top the success of their debut single “Rude”. To their credit, the band doesn’t even try. Yes, the global success of Rude did overshadow their 2014 debut album `Don’t Kill The Magic’ (can anyone remember their second and third singles?) and there is the danger of suffering the Carly Rae Jepson syndrome of not being able to replicate the success of “Call Me Maybe” on her second album.
Yet with Primary Colours, Magic have released 10 predominantly party-friendly tracks that work together as a cohesive record. Think of vintage Police or UB40 and you have the essence of Primary Colours, the majority of the tracks fueled by a propulsive reggae beat which sometimes switches to a more Salsa or Calypso inflection.
[styled_box title=”Magic – Lay You Down Easy” color=”black”][/styled_box]
Check out “Gloria” which is pure Police with its blend of reggae and rock or the calypso propulsion of “Lay You Down Easy” with a vocal contribution from Sean Paul. The melodic “No Regrets” has been released as a tribute to those who perished June 12 at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando and “I Need You” is also a plaintive mid-tempo diversion.
But for the most part `Primary Colours’ is a reggae-fusion ,summer time party with band members Nasri, Mark Pellizer, Ben Spivak and Alex Tranas achieving a level of consistency throughout the record that will avoid being overshadowed by one particular track. A record guaranteed to have legs throughout the year.
Download: “Gloria”, “Lay You Down Easy”, “No Regrets”
