It is no secret that Stick Figure is a Pier favorite, hell the guy has appeared on all three Pier Compilation albums. Why? Because it is an amazing achievement that Scott (Stick Figure) can take an upbeat music style like reggae, put his own melancholic twist on it and yet the end result is still somehow joyous.

For his third album, Smoke Stack, musically there are no real surprises, but what we get is an artist that just keeps getting better at doing what it is he does. There is simply no denying, lavish and epic tracks like Fight the Feeling and Livin' It is some of Scott's best work to date.

While tracks like Fallen Down and Break of Day feature some of the biggest reggae bass grooves, we all know the other key ingredient to Stick Figure's appeal is his hypnotic and tender voice, in the right moment it can give you goose-bumps, just check out Hawaii Song. Album highlight for me though is the playful On 2Nite, it is where Scott seems to be having the most fun. I imagine this track could be a real hit live.

Smoke Stack is the best Stick Figure album released yet and as a one man band will be hard to top. That’s why I think it a great idea that Scott has expanded the Stick Figure line-up. These additional musicians will hopefully introduce a new dynamic that Scott can tap into for future releases.

By Pilipo