Make Time for Eastern Standard Time's "Time for Change"

Courtesy of Eastern Standard Time 

DC rocksteady ska ensemble Eastern Standard Time (EST) returns to the studio with their first full length album in 15 years entitled Time for Change. 

The music of EST has evolved incredibly since 1995. How the band has crafted their self described Caribbean Beat sound that combines ska, jazz, rocksteady, and Latin flavors has been seen firsthand by fans around our nation's capital. Since 2004, the band has released only a handful of songs, such as “The Dragon” and a couple songs released on compilations. In that time, EST has stayed semi-active doing the occasional US tour, European excursion, and backing various artists, including Dr. Ring Ding. At Supernova Ska Fest in 2016, the band backed the legendary Derrick Morgan.  

Time for Change opens up with a call to action on the title track. The lyrics delve into various topics including a return to the dancefloor, social justice (including Black Lives Matter), and a plea for peace. The next track is a ska-jazz instrumental ala The Skatalites called “Totem Pole.” This tune showcases the amazing horn section of EST including sax man Morgan Russell. The opening songs provide a blueprint for the rest of the album. The band jumps from topical to tender love songs: a characteristic that began since the early days of Jamaican music where artists wrote songs that spoke about issues like Jamaican Independence (see “Forward March” by Derrick Morgan) to songs about love (“Sweet and Dandy” by Toots and the Maytals).

Throughout this album, many of the songs recall what Eastern Standard Time does best by infusing soulful lyrics on top of finely crafted Jamaican infused melodies. “Lovely in Mad” is a true ska love song with a catchy organ melody written by trombonist Alex Powers and lead singer/percussionist Unikue Peace. Peace's vocals on this tune are infectious, harrowing back to the classic 1960’s style of Jackie Opel and Justin Hinds. “Hayati” is a song about love lost and heartbreak. The band sets the perfect rocksteady infused groove provided by drummer James McDonald, bassist Reid Attaway, and keyboardist Bill Dempsey. “Left for Dead” is another upbeat love song with a catchy chorus that's hook accented by drums. The song showcases Powers with a killer trombone solo.

The band returns to the topic of social justice with a groovy reggae cover of Sam Cooke’s “Change is Gonna Come.” This fits perfectly with the title track and the direction of the album. On the second side of the LP, the band includes a number of covers including Maxwell’s “Pretty Things”, Alton Ellis’ “People Get Ready”, and The Shirelles “Thing of the Past” (also covered by Phyllis Dillon). These covers demonstrate how EST can float around genres including modern R&B, soul, and classic ska/rocksteady. My favorite track on the album is “Sugar Shack”, which jumps around from singing to toasting. Guitarist Zachary Cutler throws in some modern reggae melodies that align well with the toasting/reggae backing vocals. Even the horns are catchy, making the listener just want to move and groove.  

Overall, Time for Change is essential listening for all who have enjoyed Eastern Standard Time in the past yet is the perfect jumping off point for new fans. The album demonstrates how a band can masterfully swerve between genres, crafting timely tunes to get people dancing, and infusing meaningful messages while paying respect to the past.

easternstandardtime.bandcamp.com

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Eastern Standard Time are throwing their album release party, The Capital Ska & Reggae Review, on May 24^th at Songbyrd, located  at 2475 18th Street NW, in Washington, DC.

~ Bobby Bobson