Dos (Everloving, 2007)

In this been-there-done-that age of music, it's hard to find something truly unique, but lo and behold, here comes the Culver City Dub Collective! This Los Angeles-area group is effectively a duo -- Adam Topol and Franchot Tone -- but they've gathered a host of guests -- from veteran reggae vocalists Winston Jarrett and Wadi Gad to musical A-list rockers like Jack Johnson and Ben Harper to reggae fusion artists like Bedouin Soundclash's Jay Malinowski -- in putting together this "collective" effort. As such, you can bet that the sound on Dos, CCDC's full-length debut, is a bit out there. This album is a stunning soundscape, full of cool grooves that draw from reggae, jazz, dub, rock, R&B, with even some Afro-Cuban, Bossa Nova, and Middle Eastern elements, plus reggaeton for good measure. The reggaeton of "Makuta" is the only portion that doesn't quite gel; the rest is dreamy and decidedly downtempo. "The Cave" sets the tone, coming on like a '60s soul ballad led by a airy melodica where you'd expect to hear the likes of Sam Cooke or Otis Redding. "No More My Love" throws you further off-kilter with a rock steady/Bossa Nova vibe and trippy vocals that range from lounge baritone to a Junior Murvin-esque roots falsetto. Bringing you back to to the more traditional reggae fold is "Lel's Sweet Inspiration Dub," an instrumental featuring snippets of classic roots harmony (the original found on the group's self-titled debut EP, along with the original versions of "Eloise" and "Houdini"). But don't get comfy, because "Houdini" is like a campy reggae/jazz hybrid of "The Peter Gunn Theme" on steroids. Then we switch into reggaeton and follow up with the straightforward jazz of "Waltz for Tomahawk," which feels like a narcoleptic "Pink Panther Theme." A few more traditional roots reggae numbers follow, headed by the Winston Jarrett/Wadi Gad tune "Big Long Gun," as does more fusion in the form of a reggae remix of Jack Johnson's "Crying Shame" and "Everything," which sound like "The Girl from Ipanema" as performed by Sting. As disjointed as this all sounds, though, Dos works, and works very well. It's adventurous yet still relaxing and is a triumph of the independent spirit that isn't tied down to the notion of music in a box. See culvercitydubcollective.com.