ALBUM REVIEW: Garden Of Eden – Bad Rabbits
BAD RABBITS return with their first album in five years. Garden Of Eden is the Boston outfit’s fifth album, but after a member shake-up they are now a trio and as such it is a rebirth for the band whose music first shook up the music scene back in 2007 when they brought the elements associated with hardcore – such as moshing – into the R&B world. Their energetic shows earned them a loyal fanbase who got their debut album American Love to the Number One spot on the iTunes R&B chart, as well as a Top 10 position on the Billboard R&B chart, and Garden Of Eden seeks to take them back to some of these basics.
The title track kicks off with guest vocalist Rou Reynolds from ENTER SHIKARI introducing a world “beneath the earth where the stick-up kids at” before a lush R&B beat carries us to Fredua Boakye‘s powerhouse vocals, especially in the chorus. Reynolds returns during the second verse, acting like a chameleon as he smoothly sings and sometimes verges on rapping in a far cry from the post-hardcore vocals he’s known for. But don’t be fooled; this is very much a BAD RABBITS song, and as Boakye repeats the chorus to close out the track there is no denying this is an impressive start to the album.
The rest of the album moves a bit away from the R&B sound, such as the grunge-jazz Beatdown, or the lightly electronic Let Me Rock. Whilst they might be best known for their R&B sound, BAD RABBITS are also known for not fitting into any one box. Let Me Rock might not be the most musically interesting as its simplistic beat does get a little tiresome at times, and slows the pacing of the album down, but this also works in Boakye‘s favour, as it allows his vocals to be the star. The Getaway picks things up with its dance-influenced beat, and even though Freedom is a slower-paced song, it is a welcome rest from the fast pace of the rest of the album. The added guest vocals by Tim Henson from POLYPHIA make the song truly come to life as it offers another perspective.
The album itself is steadily paced. Some of the songs are fast, and others like Crossfaded, with its mid-tempo electronic beat, are more medium-paced. For the most part, this works, because the slower songs are in between the faster songs, creating a diverse and engaging album. Admittedly, the rest of the record might never reach the heights of the opening song, but that doesn’t mean it’s a poor album. There is a subtlety to it that requires very careful listening, as each song brings something new to the table, whether it is jazz or rock.
Overall, Garden Of Eden is a superb return for BAD RABBITS. Whether it is the lush R&B beat of the opening title song or the grunge-jazz mix of Beatdown, the album never takes the audience in a direction that they were expecting. If you are looking for an album to lift your spirits and to have a dance to, or if you want to get into BAD RABBITS but don’t know where to start, then Garden Of Eden is the one for you.
Rating: 8/10
Garden Of Eden is set for release on October 20th via self-release.
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