Women Ah Run Tings

How many all female reggae bands can you name? Women Ah Run Tings deserve to get noticed simply because they are making great music in a genre overcrowded by men. Dare to Be Different proves that the Toronto crew are running tings indeed. This six-song EP is recorded sampler style with the band taking cracks at roots reggae, dancehall, jazz, rock and hip-hop, often in the same song. "Kick 'em to the Curb" is a steady one drop rhythm with a sax and trumpet line reminiscent of the English Beat. "Dare to Be Different" works off a funk motif but keeps the reggae horns. "Dancehall Represent" coyly breaks into "Murder She Wrote" halfway through and boasts some ultra chic toasting. Vocalists Lady Luscious and Santinha trade lines back and forth, often in the singjay/deejay style of new roots reggae. Lady Luscious especially has potential to develop into an excellent rough voiced DJ, a female Buju Banton perhaps. Her DJ performances in "Cold Chills" and Tribulation" are top notch. As it is though, a few of the vocal performances on Dare to Be Different could benefit from some tuning.