Baltimore's Oh Snap!! is cut from a different cloth, indeed, and is largely a success because of it. Intensely self aware and effacing and proud of it, the portly Charm City artist, DJ and producer has made a career of making music for people to laugh to. Now, as he enters into a new phase of his career, the time has come for the laughs to be turned down just a bit, and for the dancing and respect for his exemplary talents to be turned up. For nearly two years now, Oh Snap, famed for such ridiculous underground faves as "I'm Too Fat to Be a Hipster" and "Bill Cosby Sweater," minimalist, hook driven one hit wonder style tunes, he has embraced a new sound that is certain to advance his career farther than ever. Soca. Yes, the Trinidadian, high percussive energy island riddim dominated by drums, and horns/synths. High energy rhythm driven by horns, drums and synths? Sound eerily familiar to Baltimore club? Certainly. The similarities are obvious, and given the history of the artist and locale, his abilities with the sound are not surprising in the least. With his January release of the White Bread EP on Faluma, Europe's biggest Carribean Carnival music label, he's poised to continue a career driven by success by his own rules and musical beliefs, a rare find in any musical times, especially these.
The star of this EP is the title track, "White Bread". A fun, typical soca track gone ribald as Oh Snap!! talks about being at a carnival party in Trinidad, being the only white guy in the room, and getting respect for knowing how to get down. Again, for an artist whose entire career has been predicated on using his self effacing manner to take a fun, simple song into the realm of the extremely popular, this works, and the crowd participation of "party people, clap your hands, party people clap your hands" is just so simple, and on a track that's already got you smiling, has you ready to do just that.
The execution on this release is rather excellent. "Lovely," the steel pan calypso soul stirrer, wins in a manner consistent with Ludacris' "One More Drink," as it's a hilarious take on meeting a girl at the carnival, and, well, due to imbibing rum, the morning shows her to not be the beauty you previously expected. Oh Snap describing jumping from a window, and then asking to meet the young lady's friend after their ill fated tryst? Hilarious. "Toss It Up" continues the trend, as it's a fun soca ditty regarding, yes, the recession. Oh Snap's frequent co conspirator John Neilson even appears here as "Mango John" on "She Ah...," which deals expressly with describing a young lady in less than savory terms. Hilarious as ever, the hook of "she's ah hoo-oooo-ooo" is catchy and expected, but like an inoffensive joke, a wink of the eye as per usual by the artists involved. Finale "Soaking Wet" is another winner, a dancefloor filler for sure, as "we came to party, and wave our flags" works as a fantastic hook for a sun kissed afternoon or a steamy evening.
The respect paid by anglo artists toward Carribean music forms is an issue of particular importance these days in underground music. Following in the line started by Major Lazer's Guns Don't Kill People, Lazers Do, Oh Snap's attention to the musical histories, customs, styles and sounds of Trinidad is obvious, well crafted and appreciated. In fact, this release only scratches the surface of where he can take this exciting and necessary variation on typical and expected worldwide dance floor sounds. Oh Snap may be cut of a different cloth, but these days, it's quite colorful and sways with excellence to a fantastic rhythm.
3.5 OUT OF FIVE STARS
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