Out of 5: Who Let the Dogs Out
reviewed by John Makoni

When hearing the hugely popular song “Who Let The Dogs Out” there is always an irrepressible misgiving that, after all, the group, the Baha Men, barked their way to success.

We can let it be known that the album of the same name is a work of musical genius. It is, in addition, a mesh pot of overlapping musical genres. Furthermore, the Baha Men can also lay their claim to fame on their ability to diversify.

The philosophy that what we experience – in this case what we hear - is permanently internalised and locked up in us, manifests itself on this 14-song CD. There are traces of artists like Terence Trent D’arby (“Shake It Mama”) while “It’s All In The Mind” is Prince a-la Graffiti Bridge.

As it turns out, the “Baha” in Baha Men, is short cut for Bahamas hence the unmistakable tropical fronds in the background of the album cover.

One of the songs showing the band’s Caribbean influences is the calypso-laced piece “Getting Hotter”. Like with some of the songs on the CD, it is denied its exclusive calypso tag by a rap voice which comes in somewhere in the middle.

“Who Let The Dogs Out” is actually the group’s seventh venture. The title track is about a spoiled celebration: “When the party was nice/The party was pumping”. Then somehow, someone lets the dogs out, and its helter skelter.

The legendary ditty “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” gets a revival on “You All Dat”. A multi-layered track, it has all the traces of all the modern sounds you can imagine: reggae, drum ’n bass, salsa, soul and rap.

The rounded voice of Omerit Heild takes things to another level on “Get Ya Party On”, a song with a refreshing funk beat. Two tracks down, “Summer of Love” poses problems of category once again, being a smorgasbord of samba, calypso, reggae and R&B. The atmosphere of uncertainty is also echoed in the words: “I don’t know who you’re/But I’ll find you”.

Song six “You Can Get It” is in the boy-band mould while an accomplished horn section appears on “What’s Up”. A “barking mad mix” of the title track then completes an otherwise good album.