YELLOW
SKA-MOTION IN SKA-LIP-SO THE HILTONAIRES
I’d be surprised if anybody outside grown men and women in and from Jamaica have heard of The Hiltonaires. I’d be even more surprised if anybody outside the above camp have listened to
Ska-Motion in Ska-Lip-So, an unarguably
ethnic Jamaican album released in the 60s when Stereo was a big deal and production equipment outside more developed nations was barely passable.
First thing’s first: though the word Ska is all over the album’s title,
this is not the saxophone heavy, frantically Sublime Ska most kids in the west have come to know and love. This is Mento music, sometimes considered Jamaican Country. No matter the genre, It may not even resonate with the youth of Jamaica anymore, and it has all to do with the production. The album is surprisingly
low fidelity, with vocals often smothering beats resulting in an album that feels slightly
anemic and flat. That said,
Ska-Motion in Ska-Lip-So does have its moments. It’s pretty catchy at times, and the inclusion of beloved lullabies as lyrics (“London bridge is falling down, falling down, falling down”) can be endearing.
Overall,
Ska-Motion in Ska-Lip-So is a forgettable experience, marred first by disappointment. It’s worth a curious listen, and
with the ride crowd it could work, but for all intents and purposes do stick to something more modern.
4.8