The Louder the Better

The sixth studio album from Glasgow’s ‘Raggamuffin Queen’ is further proof that Soom T is a prolific singer-songwriter with a fine sense of melody along with a love of all shades of reggae and dub. Partly recorded with a band in Brazil, and partly a collaboration with producers and other musicians including Dr Bud and Mafia & Fluxy (Leroy and David Heywood), it’s a cheerfully upbeat set that may be dominated by keyboards and contemporary ragga stylings, but also provides a reminder of the classic early reggae of the 70s. Two of the best tracks, the easy-going and finger-clicking ‘Don’t Make Me’ and more driving and angry ‘Free the Man’, echo the Bob Marley era – not surprising as their producer is Christian Cowlin, The Wailers’ live sound engineer. Elsewhere, there’s rapid-fire toasting and spoken passages on ‘Michael’, stomping dub effects on ‘Path of the Wanderer (feat Tom Fire)’, and slower, reggae-pop soul balladry on ‘Fly My Bird’ and the final ‘There is Love’. Soom T may have a somewhat limited vocal style, but there’s impressive variety in her songwriting. At 16 tracks, it’s a lengthy set, but she keeps the strong melodies coming.