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Reviewed by Anzel Singh

Sons of Zion: Vantage Point

Reviewed by Anzel Singh

Sons of Zion: Vantage Point

Following up their 2017 EP ‘The Jukebox Suite’, Sons of Zion members Rio, Sam, Joel, Matt, Ross and Caleb now have a second full album they’ve titled ‘Vantage Point’.

Approaching their world from new heights, the album was cultivated in a newly built studio invested in by the group for recording and TV production. Embracing good vibes through the band’s reggae/pop and R&B influences, they channel warm feelings of being in the sun and on top of the world.

Opening with the title track, an infectious mid-tempo number containing pauses in the instrumental of the pre-chorus while dynamic vocals persevere, emphasising the idea of being unstoppable with repetitions of “world at our feet” making for a motivational chorus over a familiar chunky reggae beat.

Mash It Up which features Israel Starr proves addictive from the first listen, an electric number that’s easy to get with pitched voices singing in unison like the beginning of a journey in a fantasy film. Missing from what feels like the nearby decade of the 2000’s, So Bright slows down the pace acting as an early R&B mood setter with its relaxed tempo.

Still, the most stripped song on the album is Drift Away which also gets included as a remixed version.

Employing only a ‘Maori strum’ acoustic guitar, with the backing vocals chanting “daydreaming, so sweet yeah” making you flashback to moments of sweet escapes. Electronic production becomes the star of Lessons, the track very much belonging in the sound of the current era, with repetitive sound effects giving the impression chopped up vocals were turned into an instrument for its creation.

Wrapping up with 12 tracks in total, including two from the previous EP and closing with the remix of Drift Away, Sons Of Zion stay true to the tone of the record which embodies living life to the fullest and making it an adventure.