Raw Raw Dub (ROIR, 2005)

Bush Chemists is a veteran British dub duo who first recorded for the ROIR label a decade ago and is now returning some 7 albums later for Raw Raw Dub.  Contrary to the title, this album's sound is pretty slick, which can be a good thing in terms of overall sound quality, or it can be a bad thing (for my taste) if the music veers away from its roots reggae origins into highly stylized electronica.  Thankfully, Raw Raw Dub never really takes a turn for the worse --  it stays rooted in the one-drop style with rich bass lines and crashing drums, highlighted by "New Beginning" and the buoyant "East of Jaro" -- but it occasionally falls into the trap that I like to call the "dub drone."  Tracks like "Rubber Dub," "Flying Cymbal," "Symphony of Dub," and the title cut tend to sound like three-second loops repeated ad nauseam with shockingly little variation or embellishment.  Based on the couple tunes that feature vocals ("New Beginning" and "Lift Me"), I think that I'd personally enjoy hearing the Bush Chemists produce an album for a roots singer or DJ whose voice would add the accompaniment that music like this needs.