Rasta Italist (Upful Sound, 2007)

Tom "Seefari" Carroll is a veteran Ohio-based roots singer whose Rasta Italist marks his sixth album to date. This is in itself an impressive achievement, but if Seefari took as hands-on an approach with his previous releases as he did with this one, his track record is all the more astounding. One look at the liner notes reveals his Prince-like control over all aspects of the album -- including writing, producing, engineering, lead and backing vocals, and every single instrument. Rasta Italist is a pensive and heartfelt album that harkens back to the '70s Golden Age of roots reggae. Coupled with Seefari's righteous lyrics and humble, unassuming vocals, it draws favorable comparison to Pablo Moses' best work. Highlights include "1 Love Not 2 Hate," "Pray Every Day," "No More War," and the title track. "See" seefari.com.