One of the highlights of my summer has been the weekly appearance of a shaved ice truck in our neighborhood. I'm a bit too old to be lining up for snow cones with a bunch of nine year olds, but what really makes me smile is the music coming from the truck's speakers. Steel drum covers of modern-day classics by Bruno Mars, Lady Gaga and more spill from the windows as the truck rolls down the street.
Bacao Rhythm & Steel Band has been making joyful music like this for years from its home in Hamburg, Germany, expertly crafting steel drum versions of hip-hop and funk classics from the '70s to the modern day. From its new album Expansions, here's a spot-on cover of Jay-Z and Timbaland's "Dirt Off Your Shoulder" that's as charming and infectious as the sound of the ice cream truck rounding your corner on a summer afternoon.
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