French Town – Positive Way

French Town is a reggae group, based in the Paris area. They started in 2017, founded by Moon (composer and lead vocal), Fabio (bassie), and Marco (drummie). The line-up changed when Marco left the group, and Sam Koné replaced him. They gained the necessary experience in the French concert circuit, whereby the band was supplemented with Moctar on keyboards, Kubix as guitarist, Junior Rodriguez as percussionist and backing vocalist, and finally Rico Gautier, who guarantees smooth saxophone sounds. Moon is the composer of the songs, and for this EP he has written five tunes, supplemented with two dubs.

The first thing that struck me was the fact that lead vocalist Moon’s voice reminded me strongly of Bob Marley. The second was that there are quite a few guitar solos on the album, which gives the album a bluesy edge. Thematically, four of the five vocal tracks deal with affairs of the heart. The standout song Judge Not My Friend is the exception here. After a nyabinghi flavored intro, they switch to an uptempo reggae riddim. Check this song out, and listen if you also discover the vocal link to Bob Marley. Woman is a super smooth, and creamy love song, that instantly sticks and puts you in a good mood. A catchy, retro-styled, keyboard solo also adds to the quality of this tune. The opening track Treat You Right is another catchy love song. The next song, Lady takes a different tack in terms of tempo and atmosphere. Listen to the rousing beat and Moon who gives his vocals quite a bit of extra power. For me, the guitar solo could have been shorter. Two nice extras round off this EP, namely the solid dub versions of Treat You Right and Some Love.

After listening to this EP it becomes clear that a lot can be expected from this band.