Knock Dem Dead is an album by the Montserratiansoca musician Arrow, released in 1988.[2][3] It was Arrow's first album to be widely distributed in the United States.[4] The song "Groove Master" appears on the soundtracks to Casual Sex? and The Mighty Quinn.[5]
Production
The album was produced by Leston Paul.[6] It incorporated more traditional rock elements, with the guitar of Chris Newland featured more prominently.[7]
The Gazette wrote that "there's no escaping Arrow's wicked and distinctive beat, influenced here by everything from Latin rhythms to New York rap."[6]The Boston Globe deemed the album "juiced-up bacchanal music with driving guitar lines, ever-present horn bursts and Arrow's high-energy vocals which show a preacher-like devotion to the dance floor."[11] The Chicago Tribune ranked Knock Dem Dead at number two on its list of the 10 best albums of 1988, writing that it "proved that when it comes to accessible, catchy and joyously rhythmic music, [Arrow] has few equals."[12]The Reggae & African Beat called "Groove Master" Arrow's "masterpiece."[13]
^Wilker, Deborah (19 Aug 1988). "ARROW SHOOTS FROM HIP". Sun Sentinel. Features. p. 19.
^Heim, Chris (30 Oct 1988). "DAWN OF A NEW DAYO FROM CALYPSO TO SOCA AND STEEL DRUMS, CARIBBEAN MUSIC UPDATES ITS BEAT-AND THE HEAT IS ON AGAIN". Chicago Tribune. Arts. p. 20.
^Hardy, Phil (1995). The Da Capo Companion to 20th-Century Popular Music. Da Capo Press. p. 28.
^ abSteckles, Garry (18 Feb 1988). "Carnival means feast for soca, calypso fans". The Gazette. p. D13.
