Notable Notes
Summer Of Dub - August 2002
by Jeremy Sutton
Summer time, and you need some music to play out back while those steaks marinate and the Budweiser chills. Road trip, and you need some all-night-driving-listen-to-it-four-times-straight-through music. Time to mellow out, you've got the girl and the wine, you need the soundtrack. Well, the days of amazing elixirs and cure-all miracles might be gone, but the latest release from John Brown's Body, "Spirits All Around Us," is pretty darn close.
Incredibly listenable and the most solid dub to be found today, this album sizzles with energy but shows great pace. The band is from Boston but make no mistake, this is roots reggae at its finest. The art of the genre often gets lost amongst those who try to infuse too much preaching and breakneck bass to what is really designed to soothe the soul. Not here, John Brown's Body (JBB) is full of simplistic but poignant lyrics ranging from praise and devotion to tunes that make you want to shake your bones all night long. And many Fredericksburg locals have at both Orbit's and Eyeclopes, where the band can be counted on to play at least a couple times a year.
This is JBB's fourth album and by far the tightest. The horn section of Lee Hamilton, Alex Beram and Chris Welter has improved immensely and add exclamation to every song. Snappy drumming from Tommy Benedetti and the subterranean bass of Dave Gould hold together a tour-de-force rhythm section that can get into some serious funk or surprisingly deep space jams. Keyboards by Nate Richardson create some eerie effects and a languid sound that seems to drip off the stage and into your shoes. All these pieces tied together as a unit, with incredible dub work from Joshua Driscoll in the background, birth a reggae sound that is freshly traditional. Kevin Kinsella and Elliot Martin round out the band with guitar and cosmic vocals.
Summer is still around for a few more weeks and you've got time to throw that last bash, take that last drive and finally ask her out. So get out there, Buffalo Soldier, and make the most of what southern summer time is all about, great tunes and great friends. This disc is available at The Blue Dog and anywhere else good vibes are found.
Jeremy Sutton sends out good vibes to friends and music lovers every month in Notable Notes.
