Rebel Lion! (Shanachie, 1998)

After signing with a bigger label, Boom Shaka's sound has become more refined and defined.  Still, I can't help but feel that the band is still underachieving.   They could probably do better; and indeed, they need to do better if they ever want to achieve the level of, say, Steel Pulse, in their heyday.  The notes on the back of Rebel Lion! (or Rebellion!, if you prefer) call the album "catchy yet substantial," meaning that it straddles that fine line between lightweight "sellout" reggae and meaningful "righteous" reggae.   It's no surprise, then, that much of the material here will remind you of Steel Pulse (see the uptempo "Beggar in a Goldmine" or "Dis Dem a Dis") or Third World (The best track here is the oh-so catchy love song "Smoke," which rivals Third World's "Forbidden Love" and "Committed."), two groups that have tread that line between cultural and crossover for many years.  Most acts that walk along this boundary (Inner Circle, Aswad, Maxi Priest, etc.) eventually give in to "the Dark Side" at some point, but Boom Shaka thankfully never really falls into this trap on Rebel Lion! (They do cover Prince's "Sign o' the Times," but this is one of his less "poppy" hits.).  Songs like "Burden & Time" and "Next to You" are indeed catchy (You can decide how "substantial" they are.), but they do remain based in their "roots roots."  "All Roads," in fact, is quite strict and decidedly non-crossover in its melodica-driven roots style.  While they don't do a whole lot that is obviously wrong here, where Boom Shaka does falter is not so much in its sound as in its songwriting.  Rebel Lion! starts off strong -- with 7 of the first 8 tracks being good -- only one of the last 6 stands out.  Still, this album is solid and makes me optimistic of the group's future.  When they can consistently put out tunes of the level of "Smoke," they will be true reggae stars.