The grassroots consensus on this American
reggae
band is mixed. On the one hand, there is simply no denying its outrageous way with a
roots reggae
groove; other than the justly celebrated
John Brown's Body
, there may not be another white
band that plays this music so idiomatically and powerfully. On the other hand, there's singer
Harrison Stafford
. Unfortunately, he sounds like the demon spawn of
Apple Gabriel
and
Bob Marley
, delivering his lyrics with a whiny intensity that he probably thinks denotes spirituality but really comes across as both self-aggrandizing and laughably derivative. When he sings (on
"Confusing Situation"
) "They say
Marley
gone/But I say no, na na no, na na no," it's hard to know whether he's betraying a baffling lack of self-awareness or (even worse) deliberately casting himself as
's Second Coming. In any case, there's lots of great instrumental music bubbling along under
Stafford
's overwrought vocals, including the horn-heavy
"Craven Fe' Dead"
and the album's uplifting title track, not to mention the jazzy piano part on
"Dream."
If
would just settle down and let the songs speak for themselves, these guys could probably produce an almost perfect album or two. ~ Rick Anderson