Goodness Gracious: Reggae From Finland (Fat Belt, 2005)

Reggae from Finland?  Goodness gracious!  Then again, why not?  Lightman proved that it's not such a strange concept with his airy dub stylings, and Goodness Gracious goes a long way to proving that Finland not only can produce quality reggae, but maybe it will one day replace Jamaica as the home of reggae...OK, maybe not, but this is a darn good album anyway.  Goodness Gracious shows that Lightman (who contributes "Barley Human" and the Mid East flavored "Yasser Gosser") isn't alone in his love for dub; it's a Finnish obsession!  Studio Red opens with the tranquil "Puffin' Dub" and later chips in the darker "Nights inna Dubtank," Blood Dracula lays down the bouncy "Happy Boy" and the Blaxploitation-like "Speeding," Le Logan Rockérs perform the melodica-driven "Rootsikka Mello," and Roots Cultivation finishes up with the jazzy "Fruits and Flowers Dub."  In between, Finland shows that it can do vocals, too, from Hosni's rootsy singjaying on "Easy" to the raspy singing on Momo Cat & Papa Zai's "Pressure" to trippy, echoed, singing-in-a-well "Sticks for the Stove" by Jukka Poika & Jenkkarekka.  It's pleasantly surprising to find vocal tracks like these that sound so true to the vintage, rootsy Jamaican sound (several really do sound like they were recorded in, like, 1975).  I don't know what I was expecting -- some sort of Finnish folk singing, perhaps -- but you'd be hard pressed to tell that these wonderful tunes are not straight outta Kingston.  Check 'em out at fatbeltrecords.com.