J+J Rasta - Wonder Twins Activate

J+J Rasta

Wonder Twins Activate
self-released; 2015

3.4 out of 5

By Ted Rogen

J+J Rasta is the duo of Jada Michelle Parker and Jessica Rosen. Their second release entitled WONDER TWINS ACTIVATE is only about five minutes in length but does a good job at showing what these ladies are capable of. You can hear the potential with these songs because they are delving into a unique style and their different methods of vocal delivery complement each other. 

I was reminded of The Knife at times because of the music but they implement rhymes that infuse hip-hop as well. Rosen and Parker sometimes harmonize or go solo. Either way I was enjoying what I was hearing.

The first track is entitled “Back In Effect” which is a bass heavy song that relies on percussive elements. They start off harmonizing before Rosen finds a vocal style that is somewhere between singing and talking. Her lyrics are ambiguous, poetic and take a bit of investigation to unravel. When Parker raps she makes pop culture references to celebrities like Will Smith and Kim Kardashian. There is a bit of Nicki Minaj vibe to her flow.

“Ancient Astronauts” is another solid track that shows some potential. They follow a similar formula as Parker and Rosen trade off measures. The music isn’t the most production heavy thing you have heard this year but works somewhat well. They close with “Venus In Furs” which was the highlight. The music was very rhythmic and I enjoyed the brief switch in language. I was hoping for a couple more changes with the music but they ride out that groove till the end. 

Parker and Rosen said they are not really musicians but artists who work with music. The good news is you don’t need to know a whole lot about music to make it. Just take a look at early punk bands that barely knew how to play their instruments but ended up delivering prolific albums. 

It feels to me that Jada Michelle Parker and Jessica Rosen are on to something but if they want to graduate to the next tier they are going to have to push their creative talents. They have mentioned that they are looking for a third person to be in charge of the music. This isn’t always a good idea but in this case I could really see this benefiting them if they find the right fit. Someone with serious production chops that they could bounce ideas off might catapult J+J Rasta to some next level type music that could make their band a full time gig.

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