Ill Scarlett

Take a lot of Sublime, add a little Canadian influence by way of Sum 41 and Billy Talent and you have IllScarlett, Sony BMG’s current attempt at creating Canada’s next superstars. This time, the major label got its claws on a young quartet from Mississauga with a sound that’s difficult to narrow down. Though best described as an attempt at modern reggae fused with punk, on All Day With It, IllScarlett bring elements of pop, ska, hip-hop and straight rock’n’roll. The downfall of these ten songs, almost all conveniently written at perfect radio length with ring tone-worthy hooks, is that they are all over the place. Produced by Matthew Wilder (of Tragic Kingdom fame), All Day With It does have potential when it comes high-energy anthems like "Nothing Special” and summertime party songs like "Who’s Got It” but as a whole, the album is forgettable. No doubt the fault of the major label machine for prematurely jumping on yet another band before it was possible to create a solid album rather than just a couple singles, All Day With It will still likely excite the young beer drinking crowd and get played one too many times on Canadian radio airwaves over the next few months.