| Roots Tonic Meets Bill Laswell (ROIR, 2006) Roots Tonic is a dub trio who've gained fame as the backing band for Hasidic Jewish reggae artist Matisyahu, but on their debut album, Roots Tonic Meets Bill Laswell, they show that they have what it takes to stand on their own (granted, Laswell is there too). This is a welcome return to old school dub, the rootsy stuff that King Tubby, Lee "Scratch" Perry, and others crafted so proficiently in the '70s and '80s. The best tracks on Meets Bill Laswell go beyond the basic drum and bass sound that bogs down "Road to Axum" and "JD3." The bass line of "Concrete Sunrise," for instance, bounces along nicely, and is augmented by violent cymbals, digital blips, chimes, blowing winds, and all manner of crashing sounds that would make Perry smile. "Akademikus Du Umbeigu" features the strongest groove, an urgent, almost military drum and bass with staccato keys and a rolling guitar that all builds to a marvelous crescendo. The curiously titled "Employees Must Wash Your Hands" (Are they washing their own hands, or are they washing mine?) propels with piercing drums and snippets of electric guitar for dramatic flair, along with just enough "et cetera" to keep things lively. For the first 8 seconds of "Healing of the Nations," I thought that something was wrong with my CD player, but such is the wonder of dub: taking sounds you wouldn't necessarily want to hear in real life and crafting an offbeat musical mural. In the capable hands of veteran producer/electronica pioneer Laswell, this album does this well -- although such lengthy tracks tend to drone a bit by the end, making me wish that there were 12 four-minute songs instead of 8 six-minute songs. You can listen to the album at roir.com. |
| Track Listing 1. Road to Axum 2. Concrete Sunrise 3. Akademikus Du Umbeigu 4. JD3 5. Employees Must Wash Your Hands 6. Instrument of the Trinity 7. Healing of the Nations 8. Clean Escape (The Crew Is Here) |
 |