After the flurry of album releases from Rockers Revolt last year, that saw them gain a reputation for varied and quality releases from both new and established artists, things have been very quiet on that front this year. At last, however, they bring you the new album from Pama International….Outernational….and boy it’s a belter!
Despite this seemingly quiet phase at the Rockers / Pama HQ, nothing could have been further from the truth, as Pama have been touring extensively, with the highlight being a support slot on The Specials 30th anniversary tour earlier this year. They've also made many various festivals appearances. In-between all these shows though rather than taking it easy and sitting back on their laurels, after the acclaimed success of last years ‘Love Filled Dub Band’, and anti gun crime ‘Highrise Campaign’, they have been working hard to produce a follow up and create something that is at least as good if not better.
There is an evident influence of the Specials here as Lynval Golding prominently features again, even taking lead vocal duties on ‘Question The Answer’, plus his old sparring partner Sir Horace Gentleman supplies bass on this as well as ‘Dub A Disco’, after having released his own limited edition 7” earlier in the year with the label. Production duties are as they were with LFDB, a joint venture between Pama's Sean Flowerdew with the help of John Collins (producer of the classic Ghost Town), with Collins's touch likely adding to some of the tunes kind of lost Specials feel. This however is certainly no band trying to mimic them. Indeed with the host of many and varied musicians that have appeared on their releases over the years they have somehow still managed to cultivate their own distinct, rich and strong sound that crosses bass laden, dub fuelled reggae with late 60’s funky, soul sounding groovers, best displayed in the bubbly, brass filled and infectious single ‘Happenstance’, followed here nicely by it’s dub ‘Dub A Dance’. As you come to expect from the band now the lyrics of the songs range between biting looks at inner city and everyday social problems and sweet love laments.
Among the highlights are ‘Quality & Justice For All’ which gets the ball rolling nicely, with it’s driving beat, glimpses of echoic horns, and a polished vocal cry from Finny. ‘Are We Saved Yet?’ starts of with a gospel flavoured keyboard and shaking tambourine, before bursting in to a funky, soulful, strut with Finny this time going from the sweet vocal of the opener into a more gruff vocal growl, to give the tune just that hint of stax appeal, while ‘Still I Wait’ contains a blissed out dubby riddim under the mournful sounding lyric.
As said before a quite year from Rockers Revolt for releases, but this has definitely been worth the wait, and will without doubt please fans, but should also hopefully start to see them gain due recognition and plaudits from further a field.
Despite this seemingly quiet phase at the Rockers / Pama HQ, nothing could have been further from the truth, as Pama have been touring extensively, with the highlight being a support slot on The Specials 30th anniversary tour earlier this year. They've also made many various festivals appearances. In-between all these shows though rather than taking it easy and sitting back on their laurels, after the acclaimed success of last years ‘Love Filled Dub Band’, and anti gun crime ‘Highrise Campaign’, they have been working hard to produce a follow up and create something that is at least as good if not better.
There is an evident influence of the Specials here as Lynval Golding prominently features again, even taking lead vocal duties on ‘Question The Answer’, plus his old sparring partner Sir Horace Gentleman supplies bass on this as well as ‘Dub A Disco’, after having released his own limited edition 7” earlier in the year with the label. Production duties are as they were with LFDB, a joint venture between Pama's Sean Flowerdew with the help of John Collins (producer of the classic Ghost Town), with Collins's touch likely adding to some of the tunes kind of lost Specials feel. This however is certainly no band trying to mimic them. Indeed with the host of many and varied musicians that have appeared on their releases over the years they have somehow still managed to cultivate their own distinct, rich and strong sound that crosses bass laden, dub fuelled reggae with late 60’s funky, soul sounding groovers, best displayed in the bubbly, brass filled and infectious single ‘Happenstance’, followed here nicely by it’s dub ‘Dub A Dance’. As you come to expect from the band now the lyrics of the songs range between biting looks at inner city and everyday social problems and sweet love laments.
Among the highlights are ‘Quality & Justice For All’ which gets the ball rolling nicely, with it’s driving beat, glimpses of echoic horns, and a polished vocal cry from Finny. ‘Are We Saved Yet?’ starts of with a gospel flavoured keyboard and shaking tambourine, before bursting in to a funky, soulful, strut with Finny this time going from the sweet vocal of the opener into a more gruff vocal growl, to give the tune just that hint of stax appeal, while ‘Still I Wait’ contains a blissed out dubby riddim under the mournful sounding lyric.
As said before a quite year from Rockers Revolt for releases, but this has definitely been worth the wait, and will without doubt please fans, but should also hopefully start to see them gain due recognition and plaudits from further a field.
among many other places
Full Traclist:
01 Quality & Justice For All
02 Dub A Disco
03 Are We Saved Yet
04 I Still Love You More
05 Still I Wait
06 He's More Like His Father
07 Happenstance
08 Dub A Dance
09 Question the Answer
10 Trade It All For Me
11 What Do I Know
12 Look Out Your Window
2 comments:
Cool review. Did you hear we're working on U.S. listening parties? http://dancingmood.net/pamainternational/pressreleases/stormsthenation.htm
Let's chat.
Thanks for the support Lawless. Keep up the sterling work yourself and good luck with the listening parties
Post a Comment