Irie Sol's CD, "Solstice" is "an instantly likable collection of songs." Ross Raihala, St. Paul Pioneer Press
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More Press: "Irie Sol is comprised of eight musicians who play guitar, bass, sax, trumpet, flute, drumset, djembe, and conga. This allows the band to bring in a variety of styles and influences, including the diverse vocal renderings of three singers (Junior, JP, and Lars Nelson). There is everything here from island music to soaring Spanish trumpet and guitar solos, and everything in between. Irie Sol writes original music and has a new CD, Solstice, out now." Janie Franz, Skope Magazine, Boston
Influences
"A recent expedition to the Twin Cities uncovered this 8-man reggae/hip hop band. Irie Sol is a tight unit with a live show that will blow your joints out."
--O.J. Lima, VIBE Magazine, Editor-at-Large.
Sounds Like
Irie Sol's new CD, Solstice "is a perfect mix of the bands influences, amazingly enough without muddying up or dumbing down any of the original sources. It’s something that is so easy to write, and yet so hard to pull off – to be more than the sum of your parts." "One song can range from a protest reggae march to a smooth jam to a towering inferno of funk." "Hardened groove-thang shakers the world over, rejoice: your band just arrived!"
Ian Jacoby, Volume One Magazine, Eau Claire
Irie Sol's founder, Junior Williams, moved to America from Kingston, Jamaica, with the dream of starting a band that would fuse the genres (reggae, dancehall, ska, and dub) indigenous to his native island with traditional American music forms (hip hop, funk, soul, rock, and jazz). He's "dubbed" (pun intended) the resulting music "Alternative World" to acknowledge its roots and routes in World and Alternative music and to conjure an alternative world of global unity. Erupting out of the Twin Cities with a musical blend that reflects diverse band members--who hail from Kingston, Jamaica; Nova Scotia, Canada; Providence, RI; Detroit, MI; New York City; Minneapolis and Winona, MN; Eau Claire and Chippewa Falls, WI---Irie Sol delivers authentic Jamaican chat/DJing and soaring, soulful melodies backed by blazing bebop horns, wailing guitar, and tight drum and bass. Irie Sol has played shows with Natty Nation, Dred I Dread, and Justin Vernon of Bon Iver, and too many other talented musicians to name. Irie Sol's music can be enjoyed at live shows throughout the midwest, on many radio programs, and by downloading the new CD, Solstice, on iTunes.
The "Violence Preys" trumpet solo makes me weak in the knees every time. Your compassion for music, love, and life, makes me feel more alive than ever. Thank you and bless
Cool, we all had a great time meeting you guys and listening to you cd. Can't wait till you guys come back up so we can see a live show. Know that you'll always have a place to crash when you around Poplar.
Warren
cant stop listening to Trumpet Cadenza. There are sounds that are SO smooth, that they blow through your sences like the wind and take your soul to a place that it may not want to return, but like all good things, they dont ever last nearly as long as you would like, and always leave you longing for more(57sec. come on your killing me!). Breathless!
Yo Irie Soul - Hope the crowds keep gathering for you guys... Long live all the freedom fighters! Big up Chris and Redlocks, let me know when you guys find your way up to the island again BLESSINGS Ced
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