Steel Pulse is a band that has been around for 40 years producing reggae songs about social justice. Mass Manipulation is the band’s first album in 15 years, but the quest for social justice is as strong now as it’s ever been.
One of the amazing things about this album is not the heavy topics the band explores. That’s really nothing new for Steel Pulse. The truly impressive thing is that this band can put a bouncy melody to a song about human trafficking or rebels who stand in defense of democracy. Beyond the bouncy melody of “Thank the Rebels”, the band also gets you to raise your fist when you hear the lyrics “Thank the rebels for standing up like lions.” Likewise “Don’t Shoot” has a bright melody. As you listen to it, you realize that bright melody is needed to counter the heavy lyrics such as “the bigots are out there with their weapons too. Yes, they’re aiming just to gun down our children.”
“World Gone Mad” is an anthem for the state of society today. This song ranges from messages about how the world is speaking to us with so many natural disasters to religion to wondering which politicians can be trusted. The bass line drives the song while they keyboard gives the song a bright feel. About midway through the song is a rap about the state of things. It commands the attention mostly because the style is so different than the rest of the album.
The band experiments with some different guitar tones throughout the album. The first guitar riff you hear in “Rize” is reminiscent of Living Colour. “Black and White Oppressors” on the other hand features some guitar that wouldn’t sound out of place on an early Funkadelic album.
“The Final Call” is another good example of a song with a different tone, but it’s not necessarily because of the guitar. This one is a reggae song with a healthy dose of funk – courtesy of the organ, which brings Stevie Wonder to mind.
This is everything you could want from a Steel Pulse album. The horns and the organ sounds practically make you forget that every song you’re hearing has a heavy theme. The melodies are pure reggae, while the lyrics are the same thought-provoking words for which Steel Pulse has always been known.
