Before dismissing Pledge to My People as just another recording by Rastafarian wannabes, you might want to check out the duet from last season’s A New Orleans Christmas from NYNO where Tricia Boutte (aka Sista Teedy) turns the tables in a remake of the Otis Redding/Carla Thomas chestnut, “New Year’s Resolution,” by transforming the female voice into the catalyst and point of interest that Otis’ vocal had been on the original. Strong praise? Not only can this girl sing with passion, but she’s got range, extraordinary tonal control, and instinctive chops galore.
Cool Riddims’ approach to Pledge to My People is conceived more than sensibly, riding consistently on that irrepressible reggae bounce while expertly tailoring all other necessary components to create a whole so understated and precise it can’t help but act as a setting for Sista Teedy’s vocal gymnastics. And that’s exactly as it should be. Somersaulting from a bright, controlled soprano to warm, throaty alto at the slightest hint of a pressure-drop in the rhythmic pulse, Sista Teedy brings an elegance and maturity to her singing rarely heard in jazz singers much less reggae vocalists.
And Cool Riddims obliges not only with restraint but also a fine array of wah-wah guitar leads and nicely angled horn charts (from an all-star lineup that includes trumpeter Jamil Sharif, saxophonist Rebecca Barry, and trombonist Craig Klein) that add both variety and welcome passages from the world of music beyond reggae. Beneath it all, the rhythm section of drummer Gregg Casmier and bassist Matt Perrine is unrelenting and perfectly balanced, with Perrine’s fat, liquid tone supporting Casmier’s selective, echoing accents.
Both keyboard player Sean LaRocca and drummer Casmier, along with Boutte, contribute some surprisingly credible songwriting skills on this debut’s eight original songs. The other two numbers, both done previously by other artists, illustrate the opposite ends of the spectrum that Cool Riddims encompasses: “Betcha By Golly Wow” takes sleek Philly soul and pulls it back into more of a mainstream pop treatment with the song’s beguiling melody taking center stage supported by a gentle reggae accompaniment; “Babylon System” pays tribute to Bob Marley with a lead vocal by Casmier and the most reverently reggae arrangement on the album.
In between, Cool Riddims expertly accomplishes a nicely varied range of interpretations that blend the reggae sensibility with mostly R&B colorations, resulting in a recording that steps just outside established categories, sounding more like danceable, upbeat mainstream music than most reggae without losing the Haitian pulse and moral reminders that are among reggae’s prime virtues. Combine all that with one of the most interesting female voices to emerge in years and Pledge to My People becomes both a surprisingly satisfying foray into genre-blending and an intriguing demonstration by Tricia Boutte of achievements still to come.
