Big Hand - How About It?

SKA

They’ve been a familiar gigging presence around Edinburgh for some years, so it’s no surprise to find this is ska quartet Big Hand’s debut album. Quite a few of the 14 songs here will be familiar to anyone who has followed the band’s live career, although the same fans might find these recorded versions don’t live up to the onstage experience.

With the sharp-suited and hatted look of boys who’ve clearly been to Vegas (the club) and watched Swingers once or twice, the Hand blend Madness-style ska party tunes with an edge of Big Bad Voodoo Daddy suaveness. Niche appeal explodes into full-blown crossover potential on key tracks such as ‘Let It Out’, although the production doesn’t quite make full use of the group’s energy.