STYLE: Reggae RATING OUR PRODUCT CODE: 1885-2334 LABEL: Eclectica FORMAT: CD Album ITEMS: 1
Reviewed by Mike Rimmer
Joe Ferry's ska music pedigree is such that he's produced albums by The Skatalites, worked with Dr John and Alien Touissaint and seems to have a pretty strong pedigree for producing ska music. Consequently, I had high hopes for this album! Best way to describe it is smooth ska! This is obviously well produced, perfect sound and a lot of fun musically with none of the rough edges that either makes so much ska music so exciting or annoying depending on whether you like your ears blasted out! There's a light touch at work on "Rock My Soul" which is very reminiscent of The Skatalites and the title cut is a ska version of Handel's 'Messiah' which works surprisingly well. Throughout the brass section seem to take great delight in tooting their horns and letting loose - this is joyful music. As for Joe Ferry, his rock steady bass playing anchors this down whilst anyone who takes hold of "Ave Maria" and "Mozart's Requiem" and turns them into ska workouts is either off his head or close to genius. I can report that Ferry is in the latter category. Overall great fun!
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