Mel Cooke, Freelance Writer

Rootz Underground (from left): Stephen Newland, Jeffrey Moss-Solomon, Leon Campbell, Colin Young, Paul Smith and Charles Lazarus. - File

IT WAS obvious that a concerted effort was put into Saturday night's launch of Rootz Underground band's debut album, Movement.

Not only were the sponsor's buntings prominently displayed on the fences near the entrance to the Shell Bandstand, Hope Gardens, but there was a sense of good organisation from coordinated parking on the outside to free ital soup on the mound in the natural amphitheatre inside.

It was a concerted effort for a concert-style launch, which attracted a fair-size audience, clips of the band doing interviews in the recording studio, their music videos and on tour in the United States shown on huge screen at the back of the stage before they performed.

Revisiting the journey

During that near one-and-a-half hour performance, the band's lead singer, Stephen Newland, thanked those present for coming along with the band on an eight-year journey. Judging by the size and enthusiasm of the audience, there are many who have been on the trek. And before they delivered songs from the 19-track album, including Time Is An Illusion, Herb Fields, Victims Of The System, In The Jungle, Special Place and Corners Of My Mind, as well as a cover of Marley's Midnight Ravers, the video presentation covered points on that journey.

The band's members are Newland, Charles Lazarus (lead guitar), Colin Young (bass), Jeffrey Moss-Solomon (rhythm guitar/ vocals), Leon Alexander Campbell Jr (drums) and Paul 'SCUBI' Smith (keyboards/organs/vocals).

So the music videos of Victims of the System and Hammer were shown, two members describing Rootz Underground as "the expression of the sum of all our expressions" and "the coming together of a group of friends musically".

A musical movement

Wayne Armond, who produced Movement, said, "When I met Rootz Underground, I thought they were a cool set of youths. I did not take them seriously until I heard their songs. When you hear Rootz's songs, you can't help take them seriously."

And, in examining the significance of Movement as the album's name (there is no track by that name on the set), one band member called it a "musical movement", among other things, adding "there are a lot of things in movement".

In the video clip, Armond had said "from you start trod as a group of minstrels you need followers. And Rootz Underground definitely has that", one member saying "our live show is our signature".

And when the music started, it was clear that both statements were correct, the chemistry among the band's members evident and Newland making many a trademark leap, although as time went on, at points, the energy output seemed a bit stilted.

The Solomonic sound system played rockers before and after the Movement launch concert, Claudette Powell introducing the band.