Let me start out by saying that I hate ska. True, there was a time waaaaaay back when that I needed at least a daily dose of the Specials, Selecter, Desmond Dekker, Toots and the Maytals, Skatalites and a host of others, but that love affair came to a screeching halt after the late, great Operation Ivy unwittingly unleashed the last generation of ska punk knockoff bands all looking to “pick it up” and cash it in on at least one KROQ hit. These days, rude boys/girls, parkas, Vespas, checkerboard patterns, crombies, Fred Perry shirts and moonstomping make me want to violently expel this morning’s breakfast from my stomach. That said, let me now say that this is one great album. It leans more toward the “traditional” side of things instead of the hyped up, three-chord, ska-tinged wonder punk of late, relying more on reggae, soul and rocksteady than ska. I’m a little thrown, because I unexpectedly found a diamond buried under all the crap. This will hold a sacred spot in my closet next to the last Hepcat LP.
–jimmy (Hellcat)