This entire record sets the image of a neighborhood on a hot summer day. Popsicles are dripping, and everyone is trying to get their mind off the heat. In the background, there are hues of oranges, reds and yellows, and kids are playing hopscotch and jumping rope.  Then, on a stoop outside an apartment building, the seven-member band begins to lightly play with just their saxophones and trumpets. All of a sudden, all the instruments come together, and vocalist David McWane begins to sing and a crowd forms. This ska album has a twist of blues to it that makes you not just want to get up and dance but snap your fingers to it. And aside from the great sound are the story-like lyrics. The mixture of ska and reggae that Big D creates is something truly unique that the ska scene has not seen in a while.

 - Mary Manchess