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Strength of My Life (RAS, 1988)

Even as strong as their first two albums were, if Israel Vibration hadn't reunited   for this album after about 8 years of silence, their legacy would've been far less impressive.  And, in turn, if Strength of My Life wasn't as good as it was, the group's legacy may have stopped right there.  However, of course, this album is good, and it was popular, leading to a string of albums through the '90s.   The song that leads off the album, "Cool and Calm," is the best track here and is one of Israel Vibration's best of all time.  It hits on all cylinders, from the laid-back harmonies to the soaring backing music, played by the mighty Roots Radics.  The album is evenly divided into 3 songs for each member, with the gravelly Albert Craig putting forth the most consistent tunes in "Jah Love Me," "Don't Want Apartheid," and "Middle East."  Cecil Spence's "Payday" is also nice.  It's truly amazing how Israel Vibration could pick up where they left off after some 8 years, with such a similar sound -- raw roots harmony -- and with such comparably high quality.

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Praises (RAS, 1990)

Israel Vibration avoids the sophomore slump (of the second half of their career) with this album, allowing Praises to give an indication that they were here to stay.   This set features all the familiar ingredients -- relaxed yet heartfelt vocals, loose falsetto harmonies, conscious lyrics, and quality understated music.  Albert Craig's cool "There Is No End" is the anchor to this album, while his "Real and Right" and Lacelle Bulgin's "Vultures" are also quite strong.  "Jailhouse Rocking" -- with its funky bass and surprisingly non-irritating rock guitar -- "New Wave," and the simple "Try Again" round out Praises on a high note.  For some reason, it took me a little while longer to get into this album, but overall, while it doesn't have the absolute classics that Strength of My Life and other early albums had, it's good throughout and will definitely appease fans.

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Why You So Craven (RAS, 1991)

Why You So Craven (known to Scream fans as Wes You So Craven) is a dazzling showcase of Israel Vibration's appeal, with the first four songs in particular being about as good as the group gets.  Their (especially Albert Craig's) sleepy, funky, righteous vocals make these tunes entrancing, my fave being "On Jah Solid Rock," which ranks up there with their other classics -- like "Friday Evening," "Red Eyes," "Rudeboy Shufflin," and "Cool and Calm."  After the first four, the remaining tracks are tame by comparison, but are good enough to sustain the overall quality of this classic.

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Forever (RAS, 1991)

As amazing as Israel Vibration's consistent quality is the fact that they put out so many albums in such a short time period following their comeback.  Forever, the group's artistic high point (in my humble, all-knowing opinion), was their fourth album in 3 years, a accomplishment, even for reggae artists (unless you're Sizzla, Gregory Isaacs, or Dennis Brown).  Everything comes together perfectly here: the melodies, the music, the harmonies, the vocals are all beyond reproach.  The only song I don't care for much is "Be Careful."  Otherwise, Forever is impeccable, with my favorite tracks being the classic ganja anthem "Red Eyes" and the funky duo "Reggae on the River" and "Children Under the Sun," with the poignant "Poor Man Cry" and the happy "Live in Jah Love" not far behind.  Dubs of the first 3 songs are included on the CD (not the cassette), which are not great, but the original songs are so strong that they carry the dubs.   The aptly titled Forever is a modern-day masterpiece whose power will stick with you. . . forever.

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IV (RAS, 1993)

Sub-par by Israel Vibration's (or IV's) standards (You almost have to judge them by different standards, since they are always so solid.), IV is not bad, but nothing stellar.  There are some fairly uncharacteristic songs to be found here, from the unusually emotional "You Never Know" to Albert Craig's two (count 'em, two) rock steady-styled tracks, "Racial Injustice" and "Babylon By Bus," to the not-as-annoying-as-it-could've-been-but-still-annoying "Reggae Rock and Roll," which melds, well, reggae and rock 'n roll.  More typical is the dreamy, laid-back "Falling Angels," the best tune on IV and one that should go down as one of their best.  However, blah cuts like "Thank You Jah," "Run But You Can't Hide," and "Hard Times" make this album relatively dull.

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On the Rock (RAS, 1995)

It took a while for this album to grow on me, and although it's not great, it's pretty good (not good enough to warrant the dub version that was subsequently released, however).  The best track on On the Rock is the rough, driving force of "Rudeboy Shufflin," a song so good it was included on Strictly the Best 18, a real achievement for a non-dancehall or lovers rock tune.  The other cuts are just good enough to be good.  They aren't terribly distinctive, but sometimes all you can hope for is consistency.  The most enjoyable of the rest is "Ambush," a very strong, cool slice of funk.  The remaining tunes tend to blend together a bit, the best being "Rebel for Real," "Mr. Consular Man," "Sugar Me," and "Love Makes a Good Man," the latter two being rare love songs from Israel Vibration (Don't worry -- they haven't gotten "soft.").

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The Same Song (RAS, 1996 [orig. released 1978])

This is perhaps Israel Vibration's most acclaimed album, the one that generated such high expectations for the group, and rightly so.  Although I don't think it's their best effort, it's one of their best, and certainly a worthwhile listen.  I can certainly understand why people went ga-ga over it, as it represented a new source of quality roots that could possibly build on the international success of Bob Marley.  Israel Vibration's style is a bit too "hardcore" to be as popular as Marley, though.   Their blend of a non-crossover sound and likeable harmonies make them perfect for underground success, always to be appreciated in the hearts and ears of diehard reggae fans.  The title track and "Why Worry" were hits in Jamaica, but much better to me are "Lift Up Your Conscience" and "Prophet Has Arise," with "Jah Time Has Come," "Ball of Fire," and "Walk the Streets of Glory" being just as enjoyable.  The rest are nice, but these 5 songs are as subtly powerful as ever and still rank among the group's best.

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Unconquered People (RAS, 1996 [orig. released 1980])

Israel Vibration's second album, Unconquered People didn't disappoint much after their heralded debut.  While the songwriting is a bit inferior, this is still a strong album, and the sound is consistent with the first.  Actually, Unconquered People may have a better overall sound, as it feels more "musical."   The instruments are more distinct and alive, contributing to a uniquely jazzy/bluesy atmosphere.  The funk of "Friday Evening," for example, centers around a bluesy guitar, while "Survive" features a jazzy keyboard and sax combo, and "Practice What Jah Teach" has a great organ bridge.  Not surprisingly, these are the best 3 tracks on Universal People, although "Give I Grace" and "We a de Rasta" are also quite good.

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Free to Move (RAS, 1996)

Perhaps Israel Vibration's most underrated album, these songs grab your sub-conscience and don't let go, almost forcing you to like them.  The group's sound has changed little since their '70s debut (partly because their line-up hasn't changed), a testament to their devotion to quality, true roots reggae.  The two boom shots that highlight Free to Move are provided by Albert Craig, my personal favorite of the 3 singers, due to his appealingly croaky voice.  "Mud Up" is a powerful, funky blast reminiscent in tone to their classic "Rudeboy Shufflin."   "Pretty Woman" meanwhile is a surprisingly fun love song that alternates between a playful uptempo beat and a slow, grinding one.  The other tunes are all sound, with "Solomon Bloodline," "Livity in the Hood," and "Life Is Real" being the best.  "Saviour in Your Life," "Another Day," "Travelling Man," and "System Not Working" are the best of the rest on this exceptional set.

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Pay the Piper (RAS, 1998)

Well, I suppose Israel Vibration was due for a poor effort.  Though well received by many diehard fans, I found Pay the Piper to be lacking.  It has the group's classic roots sound, but the songs are just ho-hum.  You can't help but blame a large part of this on the absence of Albert Craig, who decided to pursue a solo project.   Although all 3 members have always been talented songwriters and performers, Craig was always my favorite.  His gravel-voiced, deliberate style added a sense of fun funkiness to Israel Vibration's material.  Without him, the tracks on Pay the Piper seem dry, without much edge.  The possible exceptions are "Exploitation" and the title cut, which are bona fide up-tempo rock steady.   This, of course, doesn't mean that they're particularly good, just unique.   Almost as if sensing the void of Craig's style, Cecil Spence contributes a pair of tunes -- "Nuttin' Nah Bruk" and "So Much Youths" -- that are slow, funky, and which contain Craig-like drowsy vocals.  They're not as good as Craig would've done, but they're OK.  Without a third party, of course, the 3-part harmony suffers a bit also; they even go so far as to replace the third part with various women -- Pam Hall, Fiona, and Annie McDaniel -- which actually doesn't sound bad, especially on the oddly titled "Surfin."  It's hard to pick out any other tunes that stand out ("Hard Road" and "Systematical Fraud" are OK), since they are all so unspectacular.  While little on Pay the Piper is ostensibly bad, it has the generic sound that you might expect newcomers to Israel Vibration's heavy roots style would generalize them as having.  The sound is generally the same as it always has been, but the drab songwriting makes this album sound shallow and lifeless.

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Jericho (RAS, 2000)

Another substandard post-Albert Craig release from Israel Vibration, Jericho finds the group sounding like a shell of its former self.  They maintain the same style that they've always had -- falsetto harmonies, relaxed melodies, socially conscious with a rural sound -- but the material is just not up to par.  Craig's edge was the perfect complement to Bulgin and Spence's laid-back vocals, and without it, Israel Vibration frankly sounds a bit dull.  Beyond the vocals, though, the songwriting simply needs to be better.  Although there are some tunes here that stand up to the group's established standard -- notably "On Borrowed Time," the hymn-like "African Unification," "Lost Souls," "Move Over," and the title track -- there are also some un-listenable songs, like the irritating "Gang Bang Slam" -- featuring Spence's strained Bob Marley-meets-Gregory Isaacs vocals -- the too-damn-happy "Jammin," and the nauseating "Thank God It's Friday," whose cliched refrain of "Thank God it's Friday. . . T-G-I-F!" is too much to bear.

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Fighting Soldiers (RAS, 2003)

The best thing I can say about Fighting Soldiers is that if you liked Israel Vibration's previous two post-Apple Gabriel albums, then you'll probably like this one too.  For me, they have all been utterly dull, pedestrian exercises in futility to recapture the group's past magic.  Oftentimes when a classic roots reggae act from the '70s or '80s loses its touch in more modern times, it's because they decide to adopt a mainstream pop sound (e.g., Steel Pulse, Aswad, Third World, Wailing Souls, etc.), but IV has always maintained a textbook roots stance.  Since Gabriel left, however, their sound hasn't changed so much as the quality of the material.  I'd like to think that if there were Gabriel tunes inserted in the midst of the tracks here (as the group continues their practice of alternating who sings lead), this would be up to par with the group's past classics, but Wiss Bulgin's and Skelly Spence's tracks would still be undeniably mediocre.  Maybe they just need him there to inspire their level of performance (and vice versa, frankly, as Craig hasn't done much since leaving).  At the very least, he added an edge that Bulgin and Spence generally lack.  Spence's tracks in particular ring hollow with me, as they tend to be more up-tempo, leaning towards a rock steady or ska sound (and in the case of "Level Every Angle," poppy folk/country...ugh).  His "Craven Raven" is so endlessly repetitive, I can never make it through to the end without fast forwarding -- I'm wasting brain cells here!  Bulgin's tracks tend to be more laid-back and traditionally rootsy, and as such, he has the lion's share of "good" (relatively speaking) songs on the album, "Miscalculation" and "Men in High Places" being the best of the bunch.  Sadly, if you take the best tunes from IV's last three albums and put them together, it would still fall short of the group's heyday.