Rebel Emergency

Love Ain’t Free – Rebel Emergency Album Review
By Diego Published: September 4, 2009Rebel Emergency: Love Ain’t Free



There have been moments in the past few years where band members and fans alike thought this day would never come, but alas Rebel Emergency have released their first full-length Love Ain’t Free in August sans former front man Tony Panic.

Love Ain’t Free is a mix of old classics and new tunes all perfectly intertwined to make this album the best thing our summer has seen, proven right off the first single ‘Sunriser’ and it’s soulfully hypnotizing chorus, “I can’t get enough, I wish there was more time…” possibly the best way to describe the need to hold on to the last remnants of the season. Roddy Soul (vocals), Geoff Star (lead guitar), Neil “Yaggabucci” (bass) and Sir Jeremy (drums) provide the perfect mix of summer hits, guitar charged aggressors and lullabies on their latest effort that it is hard to place them in any specific genre. The smooth transition between rock grooves like opening track ‘Love Ain’t Free’ and ballads such as ‘So Long’ come naturally, mainly due to the undertone of simplistic reggae changes found in almost every song. This clever approach to songwriting has allowed Rebel to find a very subtle way to move from one sound to another without ever becoming repetitive. It also displays their versatility, which becomes more evident as the album unfolds.

“Sunriser’ and ‘Summer Gold’ create a mirage of palm trees and carefree vibes while other tracks like ‘Last Goodbye’ and ‘Take Me’ show the softer side of Rebel. The most surprising track comes near the end, however, with the unexpected power house ‘Sheriff’ featuring Panic! This song explodes with emotionally charged lyrics battling the same authorities that ultimately led to Panic’s departure from the band. Only the equally aggressive guitar riffs, creating a cataclysmic climax at the most unexpected point in the album, match this lyrical assault.

The album ends with the hopeful ‘Travel so Far’ marking just how far Rebel Emergency have come to reach the point of Love Ain’t Free and leaves fans with the impression that this is just the beginning for the band that has already been making waves for several years now. Individually, each song on this album offers a different side of Rebel Emergency, as a whole this collection of old meets new is nothing short of stellar!

- BringBackTheBoombox

As you'll see shortly, Rebel Emergency hasn't had an ideal couple of years.

True, the Toronto rock-`n'-reggae quartet has emerged from a rather tumultuous period minus singer Tony Panic. But it's also got a little black book full of choice connections fused during lengthy stays in New York, Los Angeles and Jamaica – including in-demand U.S. producer Commissioner Gordon (Lauryn Hill, Santana), who helped the lads rework seven songs from their debut album for a good-timey new self-titled EP that sees co-founding member Roddy Soul stepping to the mike in Panic's place.

The band is currently recording a fresh album of "more aggressive" material with "Commish" in New York, but pauses to drop a few new tunes at Tattoo Rock Parlour tonight. We spoke with Soul and guitarist Geoff Star to get a handle on everything that's gone down.

Q: I seem to remember you guys sending me a CD and a nifty red t-shirt a few years ago when you were Panic and the Rebel Emergency. What happened to Panic?

RS: He actually got arrested all of a sudden, so that was the end of that formation of the band. That was about two years ago. We were actually right on the brink of a record deal in the U.S., kind of going back and forth with lawyers and then that happened. He got 15 years for a few different charges, stuff that happened before we'd ever met him. So from that point, it's kind of been a rebuilding process for us because we were kind of at a good point there, and then everything crumbled.

Q: Well, it didn't kill you, so it must have made you stronger.

RS: It was kind of a weird, dark time there, afterwards. We didn't really know which way to go. We were a rock band six or seven years ago when we started, so we didn't know whether we should go back to that or keep going with the reggae-rock sound. But then, we got a new manager, this dude who gave us a bit more focus.

Q: How did four white boys from Toronto wound up touring so much in Jamaica?

GS: We decided to target Jamaica as an audience because a lot of other reggae-culture-influenced places look to Jamaica for the new sounds and things just went really well for us down there.... We played just about every point in the country, drove around everywhere and did a lot of interviews. We just kind of rolled. The guys we worked with were Jamaican and had connections down there, and once we got there we just met the right people and said the right things.

Q: That could have gone really badly.

RS: We'd heard horror stories, so we were kind of scared. But for some reason, they really accepted us and everyone was cool to us. I think they appreciate it if you work hard and play really hard. But they're a tough audience. I saw Jadakiss get booed offstage.

- Toronto Star - Ben Rayner

Rebel Emergency @ CMW 2008

BACKGROUND/COMPOSITION: Rebel Emergency rock, but in a different way. The Canadian-American hybrid band mix reggae and ska with a hint of rock, and the originality really works for them. Keeping things light and upbeat, the foursome look like they're having as much fun as the crowd.

Grade: 90

Comment:Rebel Emergency singer Roddy Soul is the hyper kid everyone had in their class, but has the ability to control himself when need be and a voice that could charm the coldest of teachers. It's not often that someone with this kind of charisma comes along. Take note how he works the stage and study up.

Achievement of Rock 'n' Roll Expectations
80-100: Exceeds skill and knowledge expectations, i.e. rocked us so hard we peed our pants.

Learning Skills: E=Excellent, G=Good, S=Satisfactory, N=Sad Really
Oral And Visual Communication
Eye Contact: E
Pronunciation: E
Stage Presence: E
Stage Banter: G
Image: E
Appearance: E
Use Of Stage: E
Strengths/Weaknesses/NextStep:
Roddy Soul was all over the stage and beyond, without making it look like an over-rehearsed part of his act. The rest of the band used the stage as much as they could, but Soul really stole the show. Relaxed and confident, there's no way he could've failed this test.
Musical Analysis
Level Of Participation: E
Problem Solving: E
Teamwork: E
Work Habits: E
Organization: E
Audience Participation: E
Sound: E
Composition: E
Songs: E
Strengths/Weaknesses/NextStep:
A reggae and ska band with a jolt of rock injected into their songs, Rebel Emergency bring something new to swap at lunch time, and they look genuinely happy to make the trade with you. Their beats make you want to dance along and their performance actually makes you do it.
Other Skills And Areas Of Interest
Charisma: E
Problem Solving: E
Teamwork: E
Sexiness: G
Haircut: S
Indie Rock Footwear: G
Nods To Disposible Fashion: S
Cool Equipment: G
Level Of Inebriation: N
Actual Ability: E
Strengths/Weaknesses/NextStep:
With charisma basically oozing from his pores, it's no wonder everyone seemed so enthralled with Roddy Soul and the rest of Rebel Emergency. Reggae and ska weren't the norm on this bill, but everyone in the room seemed to understand what the band was doing. I guess charm can get you out of a potentially sticky situation.
- Chart Attack

Montreal, September 30, 2005) VideoFACT, the groundbreaking music video production fund sponsored exclusively by MuchMusic, MusiquePlus and MuchMoreMusic, and PromoFACT, MuchMoreMusic's Website and EPK production fund are pleased to announce award winners from the September 29-30, 2005 jury meeting.

Fifty-eight PromoFACT website and EPK applications and 276 music video applications were considered by the VideoFACT Board of Directors (which also administers the PromoFACT program). Beverley McKee, the Executive Director of VideoFACT, is pleased to announce that the successful artists are as follows:

....
Panic & The Rebel Emergency for Walk on By
....




- MuchMusic

Rating: NNNN

One of the most amazing parts of this album is the fact that Panic & the Rebel Emergency are 70 per cent a roots reggae band, but one of the vocalists sounds like he should be in Maroon 5. So you've got one dude doing this rough yard flow, and then his Maroon 5ish bandmate comes in belting a perfect little soul part, not pretending to sound Jamaican at all, and it complements everything so pleasingly. That's probably because the reggae foundation of this album -- produced in part by Commissioner Gordon, who worked on The Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill -- sounds authentic and merges seamlessly with the more pop-oriented guitar arrangements and subject matter.

Jason Richard
NOW | OCTOBER 27 - NOVEMBER 2, 2005 | VOL. 25 NO. 9


- NOW Magazine (Toronto)

Band: Rebel Emergency
Hometown: Toronto, ON
Venue: Rivoli
Date: June 8, 2006
Reporter: Christine Estima
Background/Composition Rock funk reggae fusion with a sharp edge.

Grade: 89

Comment:

Guitar solos, flying dreadlocks, booty-shakin' and Patrick Swayze analogies. They're gimmicky, but they're good.

Achievement of Rock 'n' Roll Expectations :

80-100: Exceeds skill and knowledge expectations, i.e. rocked us so hard we peed our pants.
70-79: Achieves required skills and knowledge. Meets rock 'n' roll standard.
60-69: Demonstrates some skills. Approaches rock 'n' roll standard.
50-59: Demonstrates some required skills and knowledge in a limited way.
00-50: Has not demonstrated required skills or knowledge.

Review:

This is the first time I've ever seen an opening act rake 'em in, even though they're missing their 6' 3" Jamaican guy. Lead vox had plenty of quirky stage banter (nekkid skydiving in Belize, gerbil heart transplants) and stage antics (climbing on the speakers, showing us the elastic band on his boxers) to keep us satisfied.

They're a meat 'n' potatoes rock band one moment, and the next they break out the funk fusion. Either way, there was an overabundance of rich bass to drown out the squeaks of feedback. The audience reverberated with electric energy, especially during the performance of their single, "Walk On By."

Lead vox has got lots of charm and a bevvy of rock 'n' roll poses taken from the pages of Mick Jagger's Book Of Posturing. Dancing, grooving, smiling incessantly, ya just gotta love 'em. There's a genuine comraderie amongst the band, making teamwork seem effortless. Lead vox was so cunning, upon noticing Raine Maida in the audience, he broke out into a rendition of OLP's "Innocent," and we laughed really really hard. - CHART Magazine Canada