Cover Drive: Bajan Style – review

The summer dancehall hit, once an annual staple of the British charts, has been on a hiatus in recent years – as Bajan four-piece Cover Drive have spotted. Their compatriot Rihanna may have long abandoned reggae-lite pop for foghorn electro, but her early years provide fertile inspiration for Cover Drive, from the steel pans and airhorns of breakthrough hit Lick Ya Down to the fluttering, yearning Explode. Lead singer Amanda Reifer could be mistaken for Rihanna, albeit a less charismatic version – a quality that also explains why Cover Drive's breezy, beach party-vibes are highly likable, but a bit lightweight. Still, in an era when most pop stars' strategy is to bludgeon you into submission, that's refreshing.