The Green is a band that has its roots in Hawaii. Once a local reggae band playing for minor crowds their roots have spread all over the world. The band members are, Caleb Keolanui, Ikaika Antone, JP Kennedy, Zion Thompson, Brad “BW” Watanabe, and Jordan Espinoza, with each artist bringing something special to the table. They are currently on a tour that expands through the mainland United States. Their first album, self tilted The Green, was a sensation. It was in the Billboards top 10 Reggae Albums of 2010 and was rated as iTunes Best Reggae Album of 2010. As a fan I was excited to know that they were coming out with their second album: Ways & Means.
With a homerun on their first album, I was skeptical on whether this album could match up with the one previous. My skepticism was for no reason however, as they were able to make an album with qualities of the first, but with different meanings and melodies. These songs are generally about love, family and striving to be better. After jamming to this album it is easy to feel positive and optimistic.
The album starts with an upbeat song, “Keep On”. It brings the listener in with a catchy beat and keeps the listener there with a memorable chorus. Although its very difficult to name the highlights of this album the songs that stick with me the most are, “She Was the Best”, “Gotta Be”, and “Love and Affection”. There are songs that are fast paced that bring one passion while others are slow and easy for one to relax too.
It was everything I wanted to listen to and more. The Green was able to get me hooked to an entire album; I could not find one song that I haven’t listened to repetitively. This is an album that not only has hit songs, but also is an album that transitions well into each song with ridiculous smoothness. Fans will love this album and will not be disappointed, people who have never heard of The Green before will instantly be listening to Ways and Means on repeat.
