Baha Men - Who Let the Dogs Out Review

Baha Men Who Let the Dogs Out

dig it

full review

Tracklist:
1. Who Let the Dogs Out
2. You All Dat
3. Get Ya Party On
4. Getting Hotter
5. Summer of Love
6. You Can Get It
7. It's All in the Mind
8. Where Did I Go Wrong
9. You're Mine
10. What's Up, Come On
11. Shake It, Mamma
12. Who Let the Dogs Out (Barking Mad Remix)

Release Date: 2000

user rating

1.5
very poor

Chart.

recommended by reviewer

The Roots Phrenology
Black Eyed Peas Elephunk

members also liked

Atmosphere When Life Gives You Lemons, You...
Beastie Boys Hello Nasty
Jurassic 5 Quality Control
Beastie Boys To the 5 Boroughs
Jurassic 5 Power In Numbers
A Tribe Called Quest Midnight Marauders
Ludacris Theater of the Mind
Beastie Boys Licensed To Ill

3.0
good

Jom STAFF (70 Reviews)

2006-05-16 | 27 comments | 7,873 views

Summary: The junkanoo culture is predominantly showcased throughout this album, which makes for a captivating listen... even if the mystery of who, in fact, let the dogs out goes unanswered.

A large security guard lazily sits outside a white buildling in the sunny, peaceful Bahamas. The grass is green, the sand is white, the water blue. All of a sudden, a cacophonous alarm sounds, and the fatass security guard turns to his left. Out runs a yellow Labrador retriever, a beagle, a Great Pyrenees, a basset hound, and various other canines. The dogs storm the town, leaving the security guard sitting up in a slow roll. He then proceeds to go nuts. He gets on his walkie-talkie, a customary gadget required of all fat security guards.

In a bold maneuver that would later create a worldwide phenomenon, the security guard inquires a question that no one prior to 2000 seemed to know the answer to:

"Who let the dogs out? Who let the dogs out?!"

And that's how the seventh album from the Bahamas-inhabiting Baha Men opens up, except with more gusto and more vigor, like this:

WHO LET THE DOGS OUT?!

Right, that's more like it.

Everyone knows of Who Let the Dogs Out. It's on regular rotation at sporting events, weddings, and, ironically enough, even the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show plays it.

Let's begin by diving into who the Baha Men are and why this album isn't solely about answering who, in fact, let the dogs out.

The Baha Men total eleven musicians in all: three vocalists, one guitarist, one bass guitarist, one keyboardist, and five drummers and percussionists. Together, the Baha Men perform a type of music known as junkanoo music.

What is this junkanoo music, exactly? For further reading, I encourage you to check out the ]official Junkanoo website (below), but this is the general idea:

On Boxing Day and New Year's Day in the Bahamas, percussion-heavy music is played in Nassau, the capital of the Bahamas. Junkanoo is a humongous festival, where inhabitants dress up and perform this tribal-esque music in celebration. Heavily influence of junkanoo obviously comes from Africa, particularly the employment of goatskin drums, drums, and especially cowbell. Two of the Baha Men's eleven musicians play strictly cowbell: that shows how important the cowbell is to junkanoo.

The Baha Men incorporate this junkanoo in their music, along with guitars, bass, synths, keyboards, and vocals.

The group also does not hesitate to bring in another aspect of their Bahaman culture into their music, particularly their faith in God, who blesses the band to perform junkanoo to audiences worldwide. Inside the album sleeve, you will find palpable evidence of this part of the Bahaman culture. One example showcases the band addressing you, the listener, with each member offering their personal thank-yous:

Quote:

This album is No. 7 for us and we've greeted the new millenium with a challenge: to spread Baha Men's music to all regions. We thank God for keeping us safe, healthy, and strong through the years and we encourage your continued love and support... you are the best fans ever and we will continue to give you "junkanoo" music as long as you will have us do it.

Quote:

Special thanks to my Lord, Jesus Christ, for giving the strength to do things I love best.

[Thank God] For the gift of life, love, music, and friendship.

The influence of African culture greatly shapes the music of Baha Men.

Now, let's narrow our focus onto Who Let the Dogs Out.

In short: it's straight-up party music, and a romp-stompin' good time.

After a short vocal intro, the junkanoo music takes centerstage in the album's opener, Who Let the Dogs Out. The percussion pounds the verses, while vocalists Rick, Omerit, and Marvin sing about a "party that's bumpin'" and then inquiring as to who let the dogs out. The guitars and bass are notably funky, especially the various slides and bends that bassist Isaiah Taylor employs. The rap section at 2:08 exemplifies the junkanoo vibe even more, as the other instruments are silenced save for the vocal and the percussion. The chorus repeats a number of times, and the first track concludes. It's the junkanoo, however, that gets the album and listener moving. Sure, one may never know who, in fact, let the dogs out. Lyrics aside, however, this opening track sets the tone for the album and gets one moving, especially the liberal amounts of cowbell.

The junkanoo influence in the next track, You All Dat, is also supported with the "In the Jungle" song reference. The song begins with an extended "eeeaweeobumbaway," much akin to the portion of the song that precedes "In the jungle, the mighty jungle, the lion sleeps tonight." The tribal-like percussion again takes precedence, while the first vocal enters, as if he's telling a story to the beat of the junkanoo.

The first verse's scene takes place at, yes, another party, and a girl catches the eye of the vocalist. The vocal samples that intertwine within the verses, such as a boxing bell ringing when he had to go back for "round two," and the laughter of girls. After a second "eeeaweeobumbaway" chorus, the object of the vocalist's affection cuts in a rather humorous rap underneath the percussion:

Damn, baby, got somethin' to say?
Well, c'mon, hurry up - I don't got all day
You got the hots for me, I can see
But you gotta give all you got to get me
So c'mon, c'mon whatchu got? Give it to me
If not, yo, I got other guys that wanna see me
Hun, let me show you how it's done
You gotta have balls or you ain't gonna get none

Disclaimer: this is not exactly a kiddie album. Even the title track has a vast number of sexual under/overtones in its lyrics.

The junkanoo beat shifts for the outro, where the two vocalists respond to one another with the chorus filtering in and out. While it's a much slower song than the raucous Who Let the Dogs Out, the percussion is still entertaining and influential.

The album picks up again with Get Ya Party On, and with good measure. The intro/chorus area is bombastic and bold, with the junkanoo dropping down for the verses as the party begins to unfold with bass, whistles, and synths. The chants of "East side, west side, let's ride... pump pump pump, pump it up!" in the chorus are beyond cheesy, but the rap breakdown that follows restores the party vibe, especially when the listener is commanded to get his "booty on the floor." The chorus repeats over and over, and the song ends. The guitars and bass in this song syncopate well with the junkanoo percussion, and the song decrescendos into Getting Hotter, a track about, yes, another party "getting hotter," as the song title astutely implies.

The brass section that accompanies the junkanoo is vivid and boisterous, with the steel percussion, maracas, and other noisemakers adding another strong dimension to the song. Lyrically, the song is quirky, especially the 2:00 rap breakdown and the line "I want to see you sweat; come on, girl, let's get wet." A final verse starts, and the junkanoo rides the song out to its conclusion.

Summer of Love is driven primarily by keyboards, synths, and bass in the intro. In a nutshell, this song is a junkanoo version of LFO's "Girls of Summer," except with much more animated instrumentation. The "'Cause we're singin' 'la la la...'" passages that dominate with its wispy weaving in-and-out of the keyboards and high-hat rolls is a highlight of the song. The overall breezy feel of the song gives a moderate tempo, but the Baha Men's declaration that love can be found in this world ends the song on an optimistic vibe.

You Can Get It sports another brass section and a female chorus of vocalists. The junkanoo percussion in this track sounds like it belongs in an exercise video for Billy Banks's Tae-Bo workout videos, especially with lyrics like this:

Gotta set your sights, it'll be alright
'Cause it all comes down to you, ohh, ohh
You can get it, you can have it all
You can win it, never have to fall
If the fire's in your heart, everyday is a brand new start
... you can get it, you can get it, you can get it tonight!

Uplifting but admittedly borderline cheesy, the track is essentially a workout song due to its junkanoo music syncopating the way the Baha Men know best. Various words in the chorus are emphasized with deep vocals that come straight from a large man's diaphragm. Nevertheless, the typical rap section found in the Baha Men's song is replaced with a brass section feature and a modified percussion shift, with the junkanoo tempo blocks and cowbell dominating the percussion section of this track. An overall fun song.

The second half of the album begins with It's All in the Mind, a song that sounds like a combination of The Roots (another band that performs junkanoo) and the Black-Eyed Peas. The verses and choruses are very simplistic, with the song title being chanted repeatedly, but this time the junkanoo percussion takes a step back and the guitar and bass shines. The 2:14 section marks the rap section of the track, Marvin sounding shockingly similar to Will.I.Am. But maybe "it's all in [my] mind."

Where Did I Go Wrong sounds grossly out of place on this album. Every single track on this album is party music, but this is a very, very oddly placed tropical ballad that is supported by light percussion and acoustic guitar. The instruments and especially the junkanoo music shine in the chorus, and the dubbed triple vocals also aid the song and pick up in tempo, but the song nevertheless sticks out from the rest of the party songs. The lyrics in the chorus ask another blatantly obvious question, but hopefully the answer to this question is more direct than the answer to "Who let the dogs out?":

I thought that we were fine and everything was cool
But maybe I was blind, maybe I was being the fool
'Cause I didn't see this comin', didn't know that you would walk away
So I'm searching for the answers, and maybe you can just tell me
Where did I go wrong, and how can I make it right?

You're Mine is one of the funkiest songs on the album, especially in the choruses, where the twangy guitar lines and shuffling junkanoo percussion infuse the song with life and vigor. The guitar in particular truly shines on the track, while the Baha Men sing that a girl is "sensational, "adorable," and "enjoyable," among other positive adjectives. The "na-na-na-nana-na-na" breakdowns after the chorus with the clinking claves, tempo blocks, and steel percussion is a treat to listen to. The chorus and after-chorus repeat until the conclusion, along with the brass ensemble.

What's Up, Come On starts with a crashing drum fill, and the brass ensemble cuts in shortly afterwards, with the album getting a new kick into party mode, as evidenced by lines such as "We party all day and all through the night, come on, now, and get wild and lose your mind!" The 1:00 mark starts with a "Here we go, now!" and the junkanoo percussion romps in with a mild rap section that's driven by chants of "Jump, jump, jump!" and other party references. In all, "the rhythm is hot" and the steel percussion resonates soundly. The song is one of the shortest on the album, ending just after the 3:00 mark. The very brief instrumental solo at the end is a fun listen.

Shake It Mamma begins with pure junkanoo percussion and a soloing trumpet - it also gives off a very Motown-like feel. As the verses begin, bass guitar joins the percussion. The trumpet is then muted, becoming the segueway from each portion of the song. Chants of "Shake it, shake it mamma, uh huh, uh huh" occur in the chorus. The bass guitar in the song is excellent and drives the song with the percussion. The lyrical performances are a bit goofy, such as the vocalist shouting "WOOOO!" immediately after the mamma shakes it hot, admitting he "likes what he sees." The chorus systematically repeats itself for over a minute, with dynamic changes in volume ending the song. The trumpet solos added to the song starting at 3:30 add another solid dimension to the song, particularly the triplet runs at the end.

The album concludes with Who Let the Dogs Out (Barking Mad Remix). The Baha Men must have been pretty good psychics knowing that the world would go nuts over the original version of this song, so they took the best aspects of the song and made it an electronically-loaded techno song driven by synths. The chorus of "Who let the dogs out?" is drawn out even moreso than the original, with the barking being repeated over and over (hence the "Barking Mad" addition to the remix). The song is otherwise the same, with a standard techno beat replacing the junkanoo percussion and the vocals sticking in one channel while the other channel barks incessantly. The barking is a bit ambiguous, even for a "Barking Mad" remix, but the lack of junkanoo percussion and it being replaced by a techno version is irritating. The one section of the song that's actually bolstered by the techno beat is the rap section at 2:08. The chorus is then repeated with the standard techno beat and synths, but then bells are incorporated, giving the track an extremely weird vibe. The song ends with another rousing interrogation of "Who let the dogs out?", the "Barking Mad" vocalists, and the overdubbed vocals.

In all, this album is a suprisingly solid album. If you're a fan of percussion in music or are curious as to what junkanoo music entails, then you should check out this album. One of the best tracks to hear the junkanoo influence is, surprisingly, the album's opener.

Who Let the Dogs Out is reasonably close to being an essential party album with its accessibility, rambunctious feel, and overall party theme within the songs' instrumentation and lyrics. The percussion and guitars in the album are great. The junkanoo culture is wonderfully dispersed throughout this album, and this would be a worthwhile purchase for your party collection. Put aside your displeasure for hearing Who Let the Dogs Out on Monday Night Football and listen to the instruments. You'll enjoy yourself immensely.

Junkanoo website: http://www.junkanoo.com/

B-

Jom recommends:

You Can Get It
Who Let the Dogs Out
What's Up, Come On

Share: Facebook Stumble Digg Twitter Del.icio.us