Stop Looking Like Music (Independent)

Hey Ocean!'s debut full-length, Stop Looking Like Music, fuses world beat and pop, adding elements of reggae, folk, and funk, yet it still sounds like white music played by young and optimistic North American kids. Vocalist Ashleigh Ball's pipes recall fellow world-music dabbler Esthero in no small measure, though without that singer's maturity, restraint, or gift for phrasing. Lyrically, the album is cringe-inducing at points, especially the dreadful "Eskimo Kisses", which contains the lyric "Eskimo man/Eskimo missus/I'll cover you in Eskimo kisses." And honestly, the less said about "The Beat Boxer Who Broke My Heart", the better. Still, if you're the type who digs getting down to the soulful sounds of Jack Johnson, gorging on falafels, and then buying a jaunty Rastafarian hat at the Vancouver Folk Music Festival, you'll probably love this deeply "funky" album.