Caribbean Pulse

When Caribbean Pulse came along in the late ‘90s, many reggae singers were obsessed with dancehall. Even if singing was their main focus and they weren't dancehall toasters themselves, they made a point of featuring toasters extensively because they wanted to exploit dancehall's popularity (much like urban contemporary singers who feature rappers extensively and favor a hip-hop production style). But Caribbean Pulse's approach often recalls the old-school reggae singers of the ‘70s and early ‘80s. That isn't to say that members of the Los Angeles-based group are old-school purists or that they exclude crossover material; Caribbean Pulse will feature a toaster or rapper on occasion, and their material ranges from sociopolitical, Rastafarian-minded roots reggae to apolitical lovers' rock that is quite friendly to the pop and urban contemporary markets. Like Third World and Steel Pulse--two of the group's main influences--Caribbean Pulse can be rootsy and sociopolitical one minute and more commercial the next. There are also traces of Burning Spear in some of Caribbean Pulse's writing, but the group has a slicker, more polished sound than Spear (whose classic ‘70s work was quite raw and basic). Other artists who have influenced Caribbean Pulse include Peter Tosh and the seminal Bob Marley. Caribbean Pulse was founded by guitarist William Smith in L.A. in August 1999; the group's other members have included Ezzy Judah (lead vocals, percussion), LaNiece McKay (lead vocals), Jason "Bassy Jay" Smith (bass) and Gilbert Smith (keyboards). McKay, who is from the L.A. suburb of Pasadena, is the only U.S.-born member; the others are originally from Belize. Caribbean Pulse is very much a family affair; William and Jason are brothers, and Gilbert is their cousin. While William is...