Anthony Postman, Reggae Festival Guide Magazine, Editor-in-Chief
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A Penetrating Reggae Album: from the deeply political to the deeply heartical
Some have predicted that the end of the Mayan Calendar would not harken a disastrous end to the world as we know it, but that instead would herald a new time for human consciousness, a reawakening of humanity and our collective spirit, the true dawning of The Age of Aquarius. At a time where compassion towards one another, and for our shared Mother Earth is so desperately needed, Dragonfly Taxi, from Matt Jenson and The Liquid Revolution, closely echoes what a New Dawn may sound like; a soundtrack and a call to raise our conscious-ness to a world that could be. Hewn from the spirit of 2011-2012’s Occupy movements, Dragonfly Taxi voices discontent at the current state of affairs, while also way-finding a road we could trod leaving Babylon. And so-inspired, the revolutionary spirit on Dragonfly Taxi is alive and well.
While Matt Jenson’s largely instrumental previous solo release One Drops, Spirituals and Riddim featured him on lead vocals, Dragonfly Taxi sees his role as a writer, vocalist, and band leader, director and arranger even more firmly in place, showcasing his broad range of talent, presence and intent. As the leader of the esteemed Berklee Bob Marley Ensemble, Jenson’s skills are on display, he indeed giving the clinic on reggae music played and produced masterfully, and most importantly still: on reggae music carrying – hittin’ us with - the message.
“Must Be Free” kicks off the ride with rhythmic hits and a sound strikingly reminiscent of Bob Marley’s “Rebel Music.” Instead of the 3:00 herbal roadblock, Jenson’s own nod to reggae’s King, asks about freedom in the face of the insidious system of economic slavery. The theme continues through the tunes “Drop The Line (World Revolution),” “The Material Shuffle,” and “Sure,” which all decry the capitalist “profit-system” with various accents dealing with environment, sustainability, material gain, living in debt and on credit. Liquid Revolution’s deft cover of Marley’s “War” subtly and respectfully updates the tune, and showcases the tight playing, solid rhythm section, snappy horn lines and punchy overall arrangement that fuel the entire Dragonfly Taxi album. On the title track, Jenson and The Liquid Revolution pay homage to another musical icon, Jimi Hendrix, with a “Spanish Castle Magic” infused rocker about free thoughts and free spirits amongst the ideals of the modern-day American dream.
Spirit and Love grace the ethereal floating “Liquid Shiva,” and “Again and
Again” (perhaps the album’s sweetest drop), and give us ample musical evidence that Dragonfly Taxi travels not only roads of progressive revolutionary thought, but also on roads of the heart. Then again, perhaps Love, should we heed it to the fullest, is the greatest revolution of all. “Again and Again,” with a heartbeat reminiscent of “Waiting in Vain,” sweetness and harmonies following suit, keeps me returning for its embrace.
As if this group of songs didn’t already showcase thematic unity, the album – and Dragonfly Taxi is an album in the truest sense of the word, an embodiment of tracks creating the whole – presents a running narrative, in the form of brief interludes between the tracks, delivered with humor, irony, and gentle sarcasm that are at times laugh-out-loud funny. Some of these are rendered by reggae historian and Bob Marley specialist Roger Steffens (one of the best-known non-artist voices in all of reggae), whose tenor also lends to the spoken-word brain food served on “Drop the Line (World Revolution).” The narrative titles are telling, from “GPI [Genuine Progress Indicator],” “Less Is More” and “4 Day Work Week,” to “Marriage of $ and Politics” and “Mother Earth Speaks” (to name a few), all bolstering the overarching theme and concept of Dragonfly Taxi.
Thaddeus Hogarth and veteran reggae guitar great Tuff Lion both add guitar spice to the Dragonfly Taxi lineup. In combination with Matt Jenson’s jazz-infused key lines, Liquid Revolution horns and rhythm section, the musical result is every bit as strong as the album’s anti-capitalist stance.
In this new time, a little bit of luck, love and elbow grease may find The Liquid Revolution seeping its way, flooding into the dark corners of the Capitalist Corporatocracy, seeding and watering the change. It’s is a great start-to-finish journey, a thoughtful and provocative joyride into the heart of forward-thinking possibilities – jump aboard the Dragonfly Taxi!
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Stephanie Ancona and Neal Chalek
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A Defining Work
At the risk of being dramatic, Dragonfly Taxi could be the defining work of Matt Jenson's life on so many dimensions: musically, spiritually and politically. His lyrics capture the turmoil and mess that is damaging the planet and its people, but his spin gives me hope and a reason to be optimistic for something to change for the better. I think that people may be inspired to be part of making some of the change happen after listening to and absorbing Matts thoughts.
After listening to the first few tunes, we realized that this album is reggae for the world. Matt has embraced the art form created years ago by people without a voice and brought it into the bigger, current arena. It's so difficult to express reactions to music, especially the heartfelt creations of a dear friend. The risk is that our words come across as trite or just not sufficient to relay the emotions. All of what I'm writing is truly genuine, honest, and said with great respect for the incredibly powerful blend and new form Matt’s generated.
From a musical perspective, Matt’s voice and playing sounds great, the entire production is top shelf - tight. He’s gathered some incredible musicians in his fold and the positive chemistry really projects. This is inspirational music with deep impact. And, you just want to dance!!
Listening to Matt’s musical creation is a honor.
- Stephanie Ancona and Neal Chalek
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Thaddeus Hogarth - professional musician
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AMAZING ARTIST ALERT!!!
Check out Matt Jenson's amazing new reggae release. Great tunes, vibe and production on this. I can't stop playing this CD...it is a pleasure to find an artist of this musical caliber who actively commits his talents towards a powerful social message of positivity, love and living well on the planet..please support this effort. Buy it! You will love it! Go to his website and check out a GREAT video showing how the whole project came together and what makes Matt tick. (Yes, I am one of the two guitar players on this album so writing this review, some may think, is a conflict of interest, but seriously, I like it so much, I simply HAVE to tell you what I think!!)
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John - pro musician and roots reggae lover
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Reggae album of the DECADE!
I LOVE your CD. I'm not exaggerating when I say that for me, its the hippest, and all around best reggae album I've heard since the great Bob (Marley) records. Incredible arranging, humor, intelligent social consciousness, singing, vibe. It's a huge project that you took on, and you hit it out of the park!! Congrats, and it has my vote for reggae album of the decade. Not exaggerating.
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