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Feast or Famine (Riddim House, 1993)

Jah Works is a Baltimore-based reggae band that has gained a solid underground following in the area since its inception in the early '90s.  Their sound is accessible to reggae fans and non-reggae fans alike, as they featuring a rollicking live-band roots sound comparable to fellow Americans John Brown's Body, along with a touch of light dancehall, lovers rock, and ska, all bundled with a slight pop appeal not unlike Chalice.  However, this doesn't preclude the group from getting serious, as on the dub poems "Somalia/Heavy Heavy" and "Grass Roots."  Feast or Famine is an entertaining and overlooked debut that presents Jah Works at their best; based on this album alone, they deserve wider exposure than just the Mid-Atlantic region.  Fans of John Brown's Body should definitely check out Feast or Famine; they shouldn't be disappointed.

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Send the Rain (Riddim House, 1996)

Send the Rain continues the enjoyable roots vibe of Jah Works' debut.  Mixed by Scientist, the sound is excellent, and the overall consistency of the material is only slightly below that on Feast or Famine.  Highlights include the airy lovers rock stylings of "Jah Know," the harder edged "True Independence," the fun ska of "Pining Away," the dub poem "Beware," as well as "Nothing But Love" and "Roots Meditation."  Try Feast or Famine first; if you like it, check out Send the Rain also. 

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Bassmentality (Riddim House, 2002)

Bassmentality represents Jah Works' attempt to "get jiggy with it," and whether you think they succeed or not probably depends on who you are. If you're a college-aged kid whose reggae collection begins and ends with Bob Marley's Legend, you'll probably be OK with this album, since a good portion of it doesn't stick to the reggae mold.  If you're a more avid reggae fan (like me), you probably won't appreciate the incorporation of dancehall, pop, rock, R&B, funk, hip-hop, and dance/techno/house into what would otherwise be an OK (still not great) roots and lovers rock reggae album.  Listening to this kinetic concoction, you might forget that you're supposed to be listening to (I assume) a roots reggae band.  It actually seems at times that they go out of their way to avoid a reggae rhythm, which would've fit nicely into tracks like the instrumental slow jam "Blaze" or the funk/hip-hop of "King of Kings."  Luckily, however, they do settle into straightforward reggae mode on several songs -- led by the excellent lovers rock of "Happy Days," "Crush," and "Lady" -- and if you're a reggae fan, chances are  that these are the tunes you'll enjoy the most (The rest is for the most casual of reggae listeners who like their reggae in small, watered-down doses.). A few other tracks -- "Know Me Now," "Governor’s Dogs" (featuring John Brown's Body’s Keven Kinsella), and "King of Kings" -- are palatable despite their "jiggy" hip-hop/dance/rock/pop/dancehall inclinations, certainly not because of them. When the band veers out of the lovers and roots reggae realm, the material sounds forced and unnatural, like a sheltered suburban kid trying to be a gangsta rapper. Granted, they're not trying to be that hardcore (at least, I hope not), but their attempts at dancehall sound diluted, especially when packaged alongside a crappy dance/house tune like "Dancefloor," easily the worst song here. That said, Jah Works may very well have the potential to be a Maxi Priest or UB40-caliber act, for better (as in Maxi Priest and UB40's early, more "reggae"-styled work) or worse (as in their later, more saccharine pop material).