An invitation not to be refused - C-Sharp album a must-have

If the musical band C-Sharp is to be judged by the company they keep, much is to be expected from their album titled The Invitation.

However, the lure of the 13-track CD, with its rather catchy, unique title, is not due to the brand-name associates the band invited for the collaborations on the album.

It is the relevant themes, creatively written lyrics, the undeniably reggae beats, and the nicely arranged, and justly vocalised, songs that are an invitation.

Nestled inside the back cover of the jacket is the CD. Its matching label simply says C-Sharp THE INVITATION in a rather stylish font. Suffice to say, all the songs are fantastic.

The placement of each on the track was obviously given some thought. Most were written by some members of the group, in collaboration with others from the music fraternity.

The first selection, Family Man, is the only non-collaborative effort. It was written by Michael Sean Harris.

Riding on a slow reggae rhythm, Family Man captures the day-to-day struggles of the ordinary man who wants to take care of his family.

The slow tempo continues in Reggae My Song, The Invitation and Missing Peace.

Reggae My Song seems to be a tribute to reggae vocalists like Bob Marley.

The Invitation features Busy Signal, who is also credited with the penning of the lyrics.

The music for Missing Peace is slow and sultry and builds up the atmosphere of romance which the song intends to pull you into.

Heart of A Child's bouncy beginning may be misleading, but the deception is appreciated, as the song turns out to be about a persona searching for love.

rich in sound and delivery

Book of Rules, the Barrington 'Barry Heptones' Llewellyn classic, also gets the slow reggae treatment. The song is just as rich in sound and delivery as the original.

Jezebel speaks of the paradoxical nature of a woman (not sure many will take to the title). Nevertheless, it is good to listen to, the abrupt end bringing an interesting twist to an already interesting song.

Better Day Coming, another of the songs of hope, was written by Bunny Rugs and Mikey Bennett. Bennett is also credited with producing the track. The Third World Band is also featured on the track.

While Better Day Coming is one of those must-listen-to songs, Nurse stands out even more.

Not only are the lyrics creatively written, but the vocals have been laid with a passion that engulfs each line.

The uptempo, Dean Fraser-produced I'll Be There is preceded by Get Lifted.

The album is completed with the patriotic sounding Somewhere and the bonus track No More.

Certainly, creativity is not limited to the musical components of this 10th anniversary CD, but also to its presentation and packaging. Looking every bit like an invitation, the cover is dark brown.

At the foot of the first page of the cover notes inside is brief background information on how the band started. This is followed by a photograph of the group on the other page.

Subsequent pages not only provide the titles of each song, along with some important information, but candid shots of individual members.

The only downside to the work is that the font size and perhaps the font colours are not very reader-friendly. But The Invitation will, undoubtedly, provide good company.