One World, One Light continues in the same vein as Nelson Gill's first two albums, shuffling through a few different Caribbean musical styles (in this case, punta, reggae, soca, dancehall, and limbo) with catchy melodies and simple lyrics that are targeted at children. Happily, there is more variety on this record than on its predecessor. There are a couple of the "let's rock and dance" numbers that dominated Friends -- "Everybody Limbo" and "Dance" -- but they are fewer and farther between. Instead, there is a whimsical punta tune about a donkey who "for whatever reason" likes to sing the vowels ("Nowell [the Singing Donkey]"), a sharply crafted advertisement for Gill's homeland ("Come to Belize"), and a pair of inspirational reggae songs ("One World, One Light" and "Longest Journey") that could easily stand up to scrutiny on a Caribbean record marketed to adults. The arrangements are also quite inventive, including several instruments (Garifuna drums, turtle shell, shaker, tenor sax, trombone, and trumpet) that haven't appeared on any of Gill's prior efforts. Parents who were pleased with the bilingual lyrics on Gill's other albums may be disappointed to find that this one is wholly in English, but most listeners will be satisfied by the high quality of the songwriting.
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