- Jeremy Loop’s latest offering Critical As Water, is a mature record that builds nicely from his debut four years ago. Based off an outstanding reputation of live performances the South African artist has refined his sound and created an album that flows nicely and is filled with the social messages that we have come to expect from him.
The album starts off with the track Gold and it is an opening track that sets the tone of the record with engaging riffs and easy choruses. Loops is a keen surfer and most of his tracks you can imagine hearing under a palm tree at sunset. It’s very much Corona ad music but I say that with affection. It’s easy on the ears but has those riffs and tones that do make you instinctively start moving, or at least bobbing your head. The next six songs are much of the same which is not a bad thing. The tempo sometimes brings that reggae groove with it, a different element to his sound, demonstrating Loops style is not set in stone. In between these upbeat but chill tracks, Vulture is a slower song that showcases some more of the songwriting skills of Jeremy in a folksier mode. The different instrumentation: the soft piano and howling harmonica really round out this ballad and provide a necessary change of pace for the listener so they don’t lose focus amongst all the relaxing music.
Jeremy is a keen activist and has his own tree planting organisation called Greenpop. Also, given he is from Cape Town in South Africa, the title of the record -Critical As Water- is by no means a hidden message. Cape Town is in the midst of a water crisis and is in very real danger of running out of water. This subject of water flows (sorry) consistently throughout the record, employing the ocean as a central trope and more directly calling for better political management of the water crisis. There is a nice three part segment in the middle of the album: Waves, Underwater Blues and Flash Floods that lyrically illustrates the key issues of water both as being a necessity but also a healer. After these tracks, which are a bit slower, Jeremy reignites a faster paced and danceable pair of songs featuring guest rap verses from previous collaborator Motheo Moleko providing a new texture, that little bit of something different you need to carry you right through to the finish.
Arriving at the end a slower track provides a moment of reflection and a summation of everything that you've heard. It’s beautiful and relaxing but also hits home, makes you contemplate the real issues that underpin all the easygoing songwriting. If you’re looking for a new artist in the line of the Xavier Rudds of the world, then Jeremy Loops' Critical As Water is a great record, showcasing an artist honing their craft, continuing to explore and staying true to the cause.
- Jack McDonnell.