Mess With Your Sanity4 Out Of 5 Stars
A band with a lot of promise, Kongos field a lot of variety for "Lunatic." There are touches of 80's pop surrounded by African rhythms (if you're familiar with Johnny Clegg, you'll latch on immediately). Which would suit a band whose father, John Kongos, had a hit in 1971 while sons and brothers Dylan, Daniel, Jesse, and Johnny Kongos absorbed the sounds of their South African upbringing. There's touches of reggae here, and plenty of arena sized radio hooks. In fact, there's already one ubiquitous hit that you'd probably caught somewhere, the jaunty "Come With Me Now."
The songs are hooky singalongs with moments of introspection. "This Time I Won't Forget" is a celebration of being alive and in the moment. The songs all have that feeling, being fast or slow. The tribal drum opener, "I'm Only Joking," bounces along with such feistiness that it's too much fun to ignore. Same with "It's a Good Life," which marries John Lennon's "Instant Karma" by way of Paul Simon's "Graceland" album. Can you tell that I'm digging Kongos yet? I heartily recommend "Lunatic."
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