IslandMix - Soca, Reggae, Zouk and Caribbean Entertainment

Maybe I Am Screaming Fire In A Crowded Theatre...but Something Is Just Strange About Them Dis Year.

Now Some Good Things Are That They Have Their Own Recording Studio And Record Label And It Even Looks Like Their About To Have Their Own Radio Station...which Is Quite Sucessful For A Soca Group. But May When I Write They And Their I Should Just Refer To Oungku And Of All That Is His Own.

I Listened To Their New Album This Year And There Were A Few Things That Impressed Me But Overall The Album Is Not Doing It For Me This Year.i Would Admit This Album Has 16 Tracks All Oungku's Music With Some Writing From Onika On Couple Tunes And One Tune With Bunji This Is The Most They Have Ever Done. But The Tunes Are Much More Simple Than They Use To Be. Its Like There Is Emphasis On A Simple Hook For The Audience To Catch On To And Not Much Of The Infectious Musical Wizardry That Was Accustomed With Burning Flames. Its Like Its Jus Him , Onika And The Keyboards And Rythym Box.

Oungku Still Do Show His Musical Genius In His Vocal Arrangements In The Tunes...in That Department His Is Definitely The Best In The Soca World If Not In The Caribbean.

I Remember The Early Years Of The Flames With Those Harmonic Vocals And The Amount Of High Calibre Music In Each Tune. Well I Guess Those Days And Today Are Worlds Apart In Terms Of The Music Seen. And The Flames Have Lasted This Long As A Top Band.

But I Now Keep Thinking Were This Band Could Have Been If Onyan Was Still With Them And Also Why They Continue To Let Good Musicians Go Like Ester Dyer And Now Sweet Guitar Who Seemed To Have Contributed Well To The Band.

I Have Always Either Boasted Or Defended This Band On This Website...but Now I Guess I Have To Wait And See.

I feel you on this... I too have wondered about the musicians, such as Onyan, Ester, and Brian. I felt the same listenin to the album for the first time, nothing really moved me. I have to wonder if focus on the studio and radio station has led to rushed or simplified music. At the same time, the music doesnt usually grab me the first times I hear it. It takes some getting used to, and it also takes experiencing it. On that note, I will wait to see just what Flames does to Antigua, and in Lions with these tunes. I had the opportunity of hearing some dj's play some of the tunes, and wheel them and hype them up, and they did sound hot. I waitin for the experience, and will let you know how I feel after.

All I know is dat allyuh need tuh tell dem facker next time I spend money tuh hear Flames...I ent need tuh hear dem sing nobody else songs...juss Flames. Thanks.

i love oungku to death and i respect his musical genius...but the guy is a pompous arrogant SOB...lol.

he wants and keeps full control of everything.....the great thing about the old flames back in the day was that you had both oungku and onyan producing songs so you had 2 different styles all the time...now its just oungku...and his matrieal is starting to sound all the same...he needs to free up and let soembody eles do some production just for VARIETY'S sake....stop being so tight and loosen up the ropes likkle!!!

and i agree wid sharky...(believe it or not) when dem man proform me no want hear destra songs and bunji songs..me wan hear FLAMES songs.

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DEFENDING "SMALL ISAND MUSIC" FROM THE BIAS, PREJUDICE, OVER-PATRIOTIC AND RACIST SOUTHERNERS.

real but i finally get to hear road rage it almost sound like one dem long time chune i forgot wha it name and then the station play a long long long time flames chune congo man jezz and wayoo wayoo wayo wayo wayo chunnee

ahm hello, dis the only time yuh spend money??? cuz I know I never goh hear a band play and they only play their tunes..

WELL I HAD TO LISTEN TO IT QUITE A FEW TIMES TO GET USE TO THE TUNE. SO NOW I AM MORE USE TO THEM AND SOME OF THE TUNES ARE QUITE GOOD. I THINK WHAT MAY KILL THE VIBE OF THE ALBUM IS THAT SOME OF THE WEAKER TUNES ARE AT THE BEGINNING OF THE ALBUM. CAUSE WHEN TO THINK OF DEBBLISH RAGE..YOU THINK OF SOMETHING REALLY WICKED AND DEADLY BUT YOU DON'T GET THAT VIBE FROM THE TUNE. THE SECOND TUNE ISN'T TO BAD...BUT THEN THE THIRD TUNE JAM SESSION ALSO DOESN'T GIVE YOU THE VIBE OF A JAM SESSION. THE REST TUNES ARE OKAY....MY FAVORITES ARE ROAD RAGE AND BOUNCE...THE WATER TUNE GOOD TOO. MAYBE IF 1 OR 2 OF THESE TUNES WERE AT THE BEGINNING THE ALBUM MAY HAVE BEGIN WITH MORE OF A BANG. THE SLOW TUNES WERE GOOD I LIKED WORK IT, ALL OF ME AND SOME OF THE OTHERS...CYANT THINK OF THEM NOW....ALSO OUNGKU SHOULD REALLY TRY TO EXPAND HIS VOCABULARY IN HIS LYRICS.

OVER THE YEARS, ONE OF THINGS I USE LIKE ABOUT HEARING FLAMES LIVE IS WHEN PLAY OTHER PEOPLE MUSIC CAUSE THEY USE TO DO IT SO WELL IN THEIR OWN WAY...NOW, I DON'T KNOW...THEY ARE MORE PREDICTABLE....AS A LONG TIME FAN YOU KNOW WHAT TO EXPECT MOST TIME...IF YOU NEW TO THEM THERE IS A GOOD CHANCE OF DISAPPOINTMENT.

BUT TO REALLY GET YOUR MONEY'S WORTH WITH THIS BAND YOU HAVE TO LIONS IN ANTIGUA...ON MOST OCCASSION YOU'RE NOT GOING TO GET IT UP HERE IN NYC UNLESS YOU GO ON THE PARKWAY.

ITS NOT NECESSARILY THAT YOU HAD 2 DIFFERENT STYLES PER SE BUT YOU 2 MUSICAL BRAINS CLICKING ALMOST IN AN MAGICAL WAY. THEY TOGETHER CREATED MANY STYLES OF MUSIC TOGETHER. THE HARMONIC VOCALS THEY HAD TOGETHER WAS UNLIKE ANYTHING YOU CAN FIND TODAY. TODAY OUNKGU SINGS ABOUT 60 TO 75 PERECENT OF THE TUNES AND THAT SOME DEGREE AFFECT HIS PROGRAMMING AND KEY BOARD PERFORMANCE AND HIM AND ONIKA DON'T HARMONIZE AS WELL. ONIKA AND ESTHER WERE GOOD TOGETHER AND OUNGKU PLAYED MUSIC MOSTLY AND THE BAND WAS PERFORMING GOOD. BUT WHEN IT WAS HIM AND ONYAN, ONYAN SANG ATLEAST 50% OF THE TIME LEAVING OUNGKU MORE TIME TO PLAY THE MUSIC.

I MEAN ONYAN COULD SING A TUNE AND OUNGKU WOULD KNOW WHERE TO BACKUP HIS SINGING AND BELIEVE IT WAS VICE VERSA....THOSE WERE THE DAYS.

ALL THIS SUCCESS OUNGKU HAS NOW WOULD BE NOTHING WITHOUT THOSE DAYS WITH ONYAN.

I THINK YOU MEAN PIECE OF IRON.
I LIKE THE CHUNE...ITS A COMBINATION OF PAPPY SHOW YOURSELF, SUPERFESTIVAL AND KEEP IT SO.

I've listened a few times now, and I am hooked. Our tastes do differ though. I LOVE the tunes at the beginning of the album. I still think Road Rage will be the one pushed for Road March because of the pan medly. I think Debble Music will be the one to mash up Lions though, along with Kindergarten. I love Show Off and Jam Session and All Yours... I also like Work It and Bounce and Weah the Water overall.... I am loving it now, and cant wait till Lions... it only gets better from here.

MAYBE AH HAVE TO WAIT AND SEE WITH DEBBLISH OR POUND IT IN ME HEAD SOME MORE LIKE I DID WITH THE ALBUM ALREADY.

LOL.... just wait Jack...give it time.

I have to admit after hearing about 5 songs or so in row on ABS the other night I was a little disappointed. Now I am thinking it might have been either my connection or I was looking for a song to hit me like rush did when I first heard it last year. After hearing some of the same songs for a second and third time I really feeling them. I like debble music, bounce, work it, All is yours. I am still not feeling road rage, maybe hearing it on the CD or live my change my opinion.

I don't believe anywhere in my post did I mention that they were the only ones who did it. I'd have the same complaint about Xtatik or Square One...none of these bands are 'trying to establish themselves' as the saying goes. They all have sufficient hits in their repertoire to support a two-hour plus show without having to play other people's music.

As a fan (budding fan in Flames case) I don't mind any of them playing other ppl's music, but if you're gonna concede on stage that you don't have a whole lot of time...den the last facking thing I need to hear is Oungku's interpretation of "It's Carnival"...