Big D and the Kids Table's Fluent in Stroll

Ska music borrows from many different genres; reggae, dub, punk. One ska band could sound completely different from another and still call each other ska. Big D and the Kids Table have decided to confuse things a little bit more by inventing a new genre of ska that they call stroll. It is in their own words a blend of hopscotch, double dutch, soul, ska, and reggae. It is in my words a truly infectious album full of songs perfect for summer time consumption.

Big D's last cd, Strictly Rude, was an exploration of the smoother, more laid back side of ska. With Fluent in Stroll they have turned it completely around and made a poppy, upbeat record that is completely impossible to be angry or sad while listening to. There is a brief minute or so dip into a blues sound on the song 'Known to be Blue' but almost every song on here will make you tap your foot or outright get up and dance.

So many ska bands are just a pop punk band with a horn section, and then they only use the horns for brief accents. If they have an original sound to them then they stick too closely to that sound and release album after album with no experimentation. Big D and the Kids Table on the other hand, constantly change up their sound. From the fast punk ska on Good Luck, to the more poppy ska on How it Goes, to the dub heavy Salem Girls, to the laid back Strictly Rude, and now to the upbeat Fluent in Stroll, they have never stopped reinventing themselves. I was initially dissuaded by this fact when I heard Salem Girls, but as I grow older I appreciate it much more. My musical taste is constantly maturing and something tells me that Big D will always be maturing along with me. Maybe one day when I'm 50 I'll be listening to the new jazz cd that they've put out. I guess we'll have to wait and see.