The Skeletones

BUMP

YES!!!!
Wow, what a change! Loved the arrangement of this song, it’s hard to believe actually that this group haven’t been discovered or aren’t signed to some major with tons to spend on prodution costs. It sounds so professional. the song too is hook-laden to the extreme, it never stops changing and moving, brilliantly written and instantly memorable. Love it, it’s fantastic. If you’re reading this review and haven’t heard the song yet, put it on now, you won’t be disappointed. It’s kind of like hearing the Black Eyed Peas on speed, with a robot doing some guest vocals. Awesome

Extra Credit: Production, Lyrics, Melody, Beat, Mood, Originality, Best Dance Track.

- HalfwayFurs
Swindon, Wiltshire, United Kingdom
October 4th, 2005

Great Feel
This is a very original sound, lots of movement/variation in vocals and musical instruments, It kind of reminds me a little of Ska music, with a rock and funky sound incorporated within the tune, fantastic vocals. Great production guys, well done, you got something here!

Extra Credit: Male Vocals, Bass, Production, Lyrics, Melody, Beat, Originality.

- entertainment2007
October 21st, 2005

party time!!!!!!!!!
This is quirky as hell. It sounds like nothing I have ever heard before which is DEFINITELY GOOD. It has this manic party vibe-like early eighties hip hop cadences w/the vocals w/ a rock vibe. It has a bit of that early Chili Peppers funk vibe. Nice horns on the breakdown. This is serious party music. I like the “robotic” effects in the background. Nice harmonies on “like nobody is watching you”-that is a perfect lyric for this song if it means what I think it means–party like nobody is watching you? that is exactly what the song feels like-just manic fun. Nice job guys…
ps-singer has a great voice w/ good voice control.

Extra Credit: Male Vocals, Originality.

- losmusic
Bethesda, Maryland
October 4th, 2005

Oh yeah this is very good. Me likey. Cool intro. Neat effect on the vocals. Cool ska thing happening. This song reminds me of the Bar-Kays “Freakshow On The Dancefloor”. This is a great tune I will be adding to my library. Well written, original, well performed, nice mix job, fun.
Ozomatli with a big fat joint sticking out of their mouth.

These guys could be signed tomorrow. If I was still a club DJ I would download this bitch right now and play it tonight.
Props and extra credit in all categories. Good luck fellas!

Extra Credit: Male Vocals, Production, Lyrics, Melody, Beat, Mood, Originality.

- seasidejimmy
Millville, Delaware
October 19th, 2005

This jam kicks
That talk box in the intro is pretty cool. Those lyrics are delivered clearly and quickly with much energy. That funky beat would make the audience want to clap their hands. The song would be a good party jam. The production is very good and original. The band sounds a little like the Red Hot Chili Peppers and G.Love & Special Sauce.

Extra Credit: Drums, Best Dance Track.

- tjmichael
Chicago, Illinois
October 13th, 2005

Rock it!
Cool retro guitar sound in the intro. Kind of a Chilli Peppers groove. Very good production, and instrumentation. An energetic track! The vocoder thing makes it of course. Good job!

Extra Credit: Production.

- Schenkerguy
October 14th, 2005

Eclectic
Very eclectic mix of sounds here. The band has managed to combine elements of pop, rock, funk, & hip hop with a two vocal tracks, one being a rap/rock vocal style that’s done well. The other has a cool “Daft Punk” effect. Good beat, very up tempo. Nice ska-ish sax breaks. Exiting track that would hit big on pop radio.

Extra Credit: Male Vocals, Production, Beat, Originality, Most Rocking Track.

- tcblue
West Palm Beach, Florida
October 19th, 2005

I Need More Cowbell
Great original vibe! Nice combination of styles and outstanding flow with the rapper. This track could be on the radio for sure. I like the original vibe these guys are dealing with. I think a band like this could go a very long way with this sound. Nice addition with the horns!!! Great touch. Outstanding arrangement. Key change? Cool. Five Stars.

Extra Credit: Most Rocking Track.

- matt_wigton
Astoria, New York
October 11th, 2005

YEEEEAAAAHHHH!
Cool guitar riff opens up this peppy tune. Very tight musicianship exhibited here. The uniqueness of the vocals in this song really set it apart from the pack. Drums are tight. Horn accompaniment is perfectly implemented. Awesome energy / vibe going on. Grab a coolie, a shortie, and a fatty, and head to the party for some good clean fun.

Extra Credit: Originality.

- Zimma
North Attleboro, Massachusetts
October 14th, 2005

Best Male Vocals in Pop, week of 10Oct2005
Best Male Vocals in Pop, week of 24Oct2005
Best Drums in Pop, week of 10Oct2005
Best Bass in Pop, week of 10Oct2005
Best Production in Pop, week of 10Oct2005

Do It Right

Review
Something to definitely dance to. Some fantastic beats and rhythm ideas. The vocals are so much fun and are delivered with so much smooth energy. The backing vocals are tasteful. This tune has perfect grooves. Fun, foot tapping stuff.

Extra Credit: Male Vocals, Beat.

- wayoflifeband
Windsor, Ontario, Canada
December 4th, 2005

Oooo yeah give me more
Reminds me of Finley Quaye in terms of the overall sound but then a cross between James Brown and Seal wail with guts and soul along with some very tight reggae beats and bass groove. The use of live instruments was great with the trumpet piano and guitars masterfully executed.

Great sound, I want to hear it live.

Heavily produced but it works with nice use of samples especially in the breakdown ending

Extra Credit: Male Vocals, Guitars, Bass, Production, Melody, Beat, Mood, Best Feel Good Track.

- WeTheSeed
London, United Kingdom
November 4th, 2005

groovy
nice horn part at intro. vocals are very cool and match the song and mood perfectly. all parts come together very well. great horn solo…groovy guitar solo. overall, a great, kick ass song. I love it.

Extra Credit: Male Vocals, Guitars, Drums, Production, Melody, Mood, Grooviest Rhythm.

- BloodBubble22
November 24th, 2005

ah I like it!
The drum loop at the beginning sounds great, and the feeling in general of the track is so cool! I almost think that I have heard this one before. the singer is great (almost like bob marley). The band plays very good and I have really nothing to put my finger on! Like it!

Extra Credit: Male Vocals, Beat, Mood.

- therooph
Trondheim, Norway
November 23rd, 2005

A bit of Latin flavor…
This track certainly has a Latin flavor to it. It’s an upbeat tune with good rhythm and is very danceable. The vocals are all very well done and the production is pretty good. The solos in the middle were all executed very well and with good timing as far as length. This is a well put together tune and is likely a party favorite.

Extra Credit: Male Vocals, Female Vocals, Beat.

- sixtwonine
Jacksonville Bea, Florida
November 18th, 2005

Track of the Day on 4Aug2005 in Ska
Track of the Day on 14Nov2005 in Rock
#5 Best Male Vocals in Ska, all-time
#6 Best Keyboards in Ska, all-time
#17 Best Programming in Ska, all-time
#4 Best Production in Ska, all-time
#11 Best Melody in Ska, all-time
#3 Best Beat in Ska, all-time
#4 Grooviest Rhythm in Ska, all-time
Best Male Vocals in Ska, week of 8Aug2005
Best Male Vocals in Ska, week of 12Sep2005
Best Male Vocals in Ska, week of 28Nov2005
Best Male Vocals in Ska, week of 5Dec2005
Best Guitars in Ska, week of 8Aug2005
Best Drums in Ska, week of 8Aug2005
Best Drums in Ska, week of 12Sep2005
Best Bass overall, week of 8Aug2005
Best Bass in Ska, week of 8Aug2005
Best Keyboards in Ska, week of 8Aug2005
Best Production in Ska, week of 8Aug2005
Best Production in Ska, week of 12Sep2005
Best Lyrics in Ska, week of 8Aug2005
Best Melody in Ska, week of 8Aug2005
Best Beat overall, week of 8Aug2005
Best Beat in Ska, week of 8Aug2005
Best Beat in Ska, week of 29Aug2005
Best Beat in Ska, week of 12Sep2005
Best Beat in Ska, week of 5Dec2005
Best Mood in Ska, week of 8Aug2005
Best Mood in Ska, week of 12Sep2005
Most Original in Ska, week of 8Aug2005
Most Original in Ska, week of 5Dec2005
Feel Good Track in Ska, week of 8Aug2005
Rocking Track in Ska, week of 8Aug2005
Grooviest Rhythm overall, week of 8Aug2005
Grooviest Rhythm in Ska, week of 8Aug2005

Make Up Your Mind

Smooth Skankin Love!
Right from the onset this song stands out to me. It has some really kick ass dub sounds and nice spacey intro. Some of the sound effects remind me of African Head Charge or Dub Syndicate, and then the horns kick in – horns as sweet and warm as butter on a muffin. I would say that this is one of this bands strong points. They’ve got a kick ass horn section. Perfectly placed, these aren’t jazz dudes switching into a ska genre, these are bonified bone shakers passing the torch laid out from the likes of Rico Rodriguez (you might know him better for his work that he did with the Specials). The horn players know the skank. They understand when to hold a note and when to snap it off. Good good shit.

The vocals are excellent. Warm ringing harmonies that are unique but give nice nods to the roots (Abyssinians) and perhaps other crossover players like 311.

The main skank of the song is really tasty. It’s nice and infectious. There really isn’t a weak link in this song. There is one part during one of the chorus’s where the vocals seem to step a little above the mix and kind sound like they might need a little level adjustment (ever so slight).

The dubby breakdowns are nice. Being a huge fan of Dub Reggae, I’d like to see a bigger heavier dub section in the middle of this, perhaps this is something you could explore live.

The hook is excellent. Very commercially viable. I could totally hear this song crossing over into mainstream radio, as well as reggae feature shows. A little marketing in the right spots could make you guys stars. Hey, it happened to No Doubt right? Small local ska band goes big.

Production is well done. All the levels are good. The horn solos are frickin’ awesome. Just super tasty. I’m assuming this is ready for an album of some sort. I would recommend that you create a dub track of this. Kind of like some of the Gregory Isaacs’ remixes (Night Nurse, Cool Down the Pace) produced by Flabba Holt (Dub Syndicate, Roots Radics).

What else can I say boys. Top notch shit. I really don’t have any constructive criticism for this song. It’s a nice change. You guys know the little things that bug you, but I’m telling you from an outsiders perspective you’ve laid down some good shit here.

Hit me up when you’re playing live.

Reviewed by: Fuzzymoto from Huntington Beach, California

oh yah
UB 40 + madness man really well recorded – esp drums & bass good time music..great great production ,this band deserves a deal -come on!

Extra Credit: Male Vocals, Production.

- steveurwin
Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada
July 9th, 2005

GREAT HOOK
oh wow this is some High Quality production, this song has a nice reggae feel to it, the bass groove is perfect for this song, I cant really think of any critiques this song is perfect, I especially like the trumpet and sax alternating solo , im defiantly listening to this song all the way through then repeating it a few more times

Extra Credit: Male Vocals, Guitars, Drums, Bass, Production, Lyrics, Melody, Beat, Mood, Originality, Grooviest Rhythm.

- adambailey23
Tumwater, Washington
July 28th, 2005

Tiki Bar calling my name
It’s got some great groove and interesting textures, plus a great hook. I like the keyboard/organ contrast in the 2:00 area but feel like it should fade out before the chorus, it becomes a bit distracting at that point.
Vocalist performance flawless.

Extra Credit: Male Vocals, Keyboards, Programming, Beat.

- Bonzilla
Atlanta, Georgia
July 29th, 2005

Soft spot for Reggae…
I can’t help but get into every good reggae song I hear. It is the kind of music that keeps your head bobbing and your feet tapping. This song is no exception.

The beat is held strong by a drummer who seems fond of hanging out on the toms and there is nothing wrong with that at all.

The brass is the perfect compliment to such a soulful song in making the instrumental breakdown what it is.

Extra Credit: Drums, Lyrics, Melody, Beat.

- Rain_Or_Shine
Virginia Beach, Virginia
July 17th, 2005

Made up My Mind!
I like the intro driving bass then horns kick in.

Song:
Crystal clear, articulate vocals, tight harmony fith tasty horn fills.
Nice synth FX. Catchy lyrics.

Hook: Make up your mind made up my mind…these cats are really cookin’

Production:
Mix is right on, great fills with spacy sounds but not overplayed, tight cleanly mixed harmonies right up front where they belong. Smoking hot instrumentation.
I made up my mind to score a perfect ’5′.

Extra Credit: Drums, Programming, Production, Lyrics, Beat, Best Feel Good Track.

- exhippiedude
Independence, Oregon
June 29th, 2005

HOOK CITY!
WHAT A GREAT FEEL TO THIS SONG! BEING FROM THE VIRGIN ISLANDS I KNOW GOOD REGGAE. GREAT VOCALS AND A FINE PRODUCTION.I WANT TO HEAR MOOOOOOORE!!!!

Extra Credit: Male Vocals, Production, Beat, Mood.

- JJRockstx
Christiansted, Virgin Islands
June 25th, 2005

really sick guitar intro on this one
then you are hit with the horn section set a trippy ass backdrop of all kinds of effects but they work on this one. then when the vocals come in they sold me. all the different voices. this reminded me somewhat of an east coast band called dispatch but this was way more reggae. really original! the mix was ridiculously smooth like the song

-the rawkasaurus

Extra Credit: Male Vocals, Guitars, Bass, Production, Beat.

- rawkasaurusrex
Spokane, Washington
May 17th, 2005

Dub rock
This is like a combo of reggae, dub and rock. It works really well. The vocals and harmonies are really tight. Nice to hear some originality in this genre. Aw yeah, and sweet keys. This is very pro sounding. Nice a tight and punchy. I’d love to hear this live. Great brass solos. Yeah, this just has a whole lot going for it. I don’t really have criticism. This is a real successful track.

Extra Credit: Mood.

- Lutefisk
Fort Lee, New Jersey
October 14th, 2005

Track of the Day on 18May2005 in Reggae
Track of the Day on 9Oct2005 in Rock
#3 Best Male Vocals in Reggae, all-time
#14 Best Programming in Reggae, all-time
#1 Best Production in Reggae, all-time
#9 Best Melody in Reggae, all-time
#8 Best Beat in Reggae, all-time
#17 Best Mood in Reggae, all-time
#13 Most Original in Reggae, all-time
#8 Feel Good Track in Reggae, all-time
#17 Rocking Track in Reggae, all-time
#21 Grooviest Rhythm overall, all-time
#1 Grooviest Rhythm in Reggae, all-time
Best Male Vocals in Reggae, week of 23May2005
Best Male Vocals in Reggae, week of 20Jun2005
Best Male Vocals in Reggae, week of 1Aug2005
Best Male Vocals in Reggae, week of 24Oct2005
Best Guitars in Reggae, week of 23May2005
Best Drums in Reggae, week of 23May2005
Best Drums in Reggae, week of 20Jun2005
Best Bass in Reggae, week of 23May2005
Best Keyboards in Reggae, week of 23May2005
Best Programming in Reggae, week of 4Jul2005
Best Programming in Reggae, week of 1Aug2005
Best Programming in Reggae, week of 19Sep2005
Best Production in Reggae, week of 23May2005
Best Production in Reggae, week of 20Jun2005
Best Production in Reggae, week of 27Jun2005
Best Production in Reggae, week of 4Jul2005
Best Production in Reggae, week of 1Aug2005
Best Production in Reggae, week of 19Sep2005
Best Lyrics in Reggae, week of 4Jul2005
Best Melody in Reggae, week of 23May2005
Best Melody in Reggae, week of 1Aug2005
Best Melody in Reggae, week of 10Oct2005
Best Beat in Reggae, week of 23May2005
Best Beat in Reggae, week of 20Jun2005
Best Beat in Reggae, week of 4Jul2005
Best Beat in Reggae, week of 1Aug2005
Best Beat in Reggae, week of 10Oct2005
Best Mood in Reggae, week of 23May2005
Best Mood in Reggae, week of 1Aug2005
Most Original in Reggae, week of 23May2005
Most Original in Reggae, week of 20Jun2005
Most Original in Reggae, week of 27Jun2005
Most Original in Reggae, week of 19Sep2005
Rocking Track in Reggae, week of 20Jun2005
Grooviest Rhythm in Reggae, week of 23May2005
Grooviest Rhythm in Reggae, week of 10Oct2005