Ode to a Karrot - Soom T (2017)

Soom T is an Indian-Scottish ragga singer born and raised in a deprived district of Glasgow. Soom T, stage name of Sumati Bhardwaj, discovered her love for music after her older brother introduced her to Rage Against the Machine, Cypress Hill, and Public Enemy. However, it was not just the music that appealed to Bhardwaj, it was the lyrics of activism and making a difference (and in the case of Cypress Hill, the glorification of marijuana). Another activist influence came from the work Soom did with a young person’s political group in Glasgow (Y Network). As a result of her work alongside Y Network, she swore to dedicate her music to make a stand against the injustices she sees. Making socially conscious music is her form of activism. Soom T has been active since 1999 featuring on over 100 projects with a variety of different electronic and dub artists before dropping her debut solo album Free as a Bird in 2015. She is also a regular collaborator with dub sound-system Mungo’s Hi-Fi. A group that has clearly had an influence on Ode to a Karrot.

Ode to a Karrot is credited as Soom T’s second solo record however I feel this is not totally accurate. The album is a remix project based on Soom T & Disrupt’s 2010 record Ode 2 a Carrot that features ten of the same songs as Ode to a Karrot, albeit the track names have been altered slightly. These ten songs include tracks like ‘Booma Shiva’ (2010’s ‘Boom Shiva’), Puff the Polis (‘Puff the Police’) and ‘A Kiss is Sweet’ and ‘Weed is Sweeter (Konchis Remix)’ (both remixes of ‘Weed is Sweeter’). This means that only nine tracks on this record were new songs. Now there is nothing wrong with a remix album, but it took some digging to find out that Ode to a Karrot was mostly reworked old songs. There are some positives to this though: the production has been much improved, and tracks highlight Soom’s ability to rap over ragga tracks rather than just electronic beats. The beats by Helgeland 8-bit Squad are an exciting take on the dub and ragga beats Soom is often heard riding for Mungo’s Hi-Fi. On ‘Matchbox Full of Weed’ the off-beat is accented by an automated keyboard as opposed to the snare drum you would commonly find in reggae. Although these beats are different and initially exciting, they become somewhat repetitive, especially considering Helgeland 8-bit Squad feature on twelve of the nineteen tracks on Ode to a Karrot. This notion of things becoming repetitive is a common theme on this album. Soom T seems to vary between three flows throughout most of the record – fast rap flow on ‘Booma Shiva’, a softer singing voice in ‘Kiss is Sweet’ and her ragga voice on ‘Need Weed’. The only tracks that mix it up a bit are ‘Junglo Peace’ which switches to a ska bpm and uses samples of real instruments, and the Konchis remix of ‘Weed is Sweeter’ – a track similar to her sound on 2015’s Free as a Bird.

The stand-out tracks for me are ‘Booma Shiva’, ‘Easy Weed’ and ‘Light It’. I like ‘Light It’ for the simple fact that the vocal hook and chorus is strongly influenced by Cypress Hill’s ‘Hits from the Bong’. ‘Booma Shiva’ and ‘Easy Weed’ are easily the best songs on the album and are both in the first three tracks on the album. ‘Easy Weed’ is a fantastic introduction and definitely sets the tone for the record. The track contains an 8-bit style beat (produced by Manudigital), Soom’s familiar ragga style of singing and swagger that is not found on many tracks on this album. ‘Booma Shiva’ has been much improved by the remix; this track blends electro, reggae and bhangra singing all in one. This is also the first track on the album where Soom shows off her ability to rap at a fast pace which builds this hype; it is a song that I am sure would be amazing to see live. Overall, the album has strong individual songs but does not fit together as an album – ‘Never Get Caught’ sounds like every other song on this album and epitomises the lack of variety in beats and flow. Ode to a Karrot has been written as a homage to weed; the play on the word ‘budz’ on the album cover (“Soom T & Budz”) and the image of a cat with a smoking carrot in its mouth are apparent indicators. The praise for weed is a part of reggae culture and therefore, a stylistic feature in the music; however, nineteen songs is too much for me. It is another example of overuse and repetition on this album, of which there are many. Ode to a Karrot is an album with high points in great singles and better production, but not an album that I could honestly recommend more than five tracks. The whole album can be summed up in my three stand out tracks and another song of your choice, and there is very little reason to listen to much more than that.