Roots Combination

It may have been recorded in the 21st century, but this album's rootsy dub-reggae sound is a welcome flashback to the genre's 1970s heyday, when production masterminds like King Tubby and Lee "Scratch" Perry were cutting their teeth making tripped-out versions of the latest reggae hits. Roots Combination features a variety of vocalists, all supported by the same studio band, this one fronted by multi-instrumentalist Ticklah of Cooly's Hot Box fame, who leads a razor-sharp ensemble through a 13-song set that ranks with the classic dub albums of yesteryear. High points are many, but include Sluggy Ranks' "Nah Bow Down," which boasts conscious lyrics and a killer vocal hook, and drummer Calbert Walker's skankin' "General Tso," a song cut straight from the Burning Spear cloth. Many of today's finest dub artists prefer to strut their stuff by showing off their mastery of the latest studio technology, but Ticklah and company keep extraneous experimentation to a minimum, creating an analogue dub masterpiece for the digital world. ~ Bret Love|