Sunrise Red (Roots-Tree and Stream, 2008)

*GUEST REVIEW*
Huge and diverse country that it is, Australia must be brimming with reggae artists. And if such is the case, I've nobody but myself to blame for not knowing more of their names or works. But the scope of my research is getting broader. Just recently I sought out and obtained this dandy disc by an Aussie reggae outfit who call themselves Fyah Walk and have a sound that is appropriately blazing and forward-moving. Despite veering into reggae-rock with "You Got The Time," they mainly trod a roots path inspired by Jamaica and embellished by their own quirky vision. Actually, it's not only Jamaica from which they draw. St. Croix is clearly an influence as well, if the tongue-tripping, Vaughn Benjamin-style vocal on "Thieves In The Night" (with starts off with terrifically funereal organ and nervous percussion) is any indication. Lead singer/rhythm guitarist Simon Jerrems is one of the band's many strengths, easily tackling dancehall delivery ("Conqueror") and octave-jumping imagery (the title track) while real drums, bass, keys, lead guitar and percussion build hard, rumbling grooves. The studio tracks here are plenty impressive, as is the in-concert selection "Zion Await," which starts as an acoustic ballad before getting a reggae injection. The album's only drawback is the fact that although "Zion Await" is listed with a 16 minute, 37 second running time, it's actually far shorter. Once it ends, there's over four minutes of puzzling silence before another studio recording (untitled but quite good) emerges. I'm not sure if this move was intentional or some sort of production blunder, but it painfully disrupts the flow of an otherwise very powerful statement of roots reggae.

- Tom Orr