From the Garden (Rootman, 2003)

Add Vegitation to the ever-growing list of impressive home-grown, largely underground American bands helping to bring a vintage roots vibe back to reggae.  Hailing from the placid San Diego suburb of Ocean Beach, California, this 7-piece band's sound is understandably laid-back and easy (like Sunday morning), though maintaining a buoyancy that ensures that the music doesn't drift too far into the background.  There's a unique edge to Vegitation's brand of roots reggae that borders on late'60s/early '70s rock 'n roll.  Their use of guitars -- both acoustic and electric -- combined with lead singer Dandelion's somewhat Bob Dylan-like vocals and their folksy, not always traditionally reggae-inclined melodies give the group a sort of hippie feel (certainly, the whole nature theme contributes to this as well).  Some tunes, like "Vision," "Higher Life," "Walk On," and "Weakness," almost seem like '70s light Southern rock songs sung inna reggae stylee more songs originally penned for the reggae genre.  Indeed, sometimes it's tempting to label Vegitation as a reggae version of Creedence Clearwater Revival or something.  All of this isn't meant as a put-down, of course; in fact, From the Garden is rather fresh (insert vegetable joke here) and extremely likeable.  Whatever its musical overtones, it's first and foremost a roots reggae album, and a darn good one at that.  Every track contributes ably to the whole, with catchy, swaying melodies and assured instrumentation. Check 'em out at vegitationmusic.com.