Reviewed by Matt McChlery

The Orange County Supertones (or the Supertones as they were often known) were born out of California's ska band scene in 1995. They quickly took the USA by storm as the first Christian band to adopt the trumpet blaring, Two Tone-influenced ska sound to convey their message. Sounding like Reel Big Fish and The Brothers Ignatius, The OC Supertones released a number of albums including 'The Adventures of The OC Supertones' (1997) and 'Chase The Sun' (1999). However, in 2005 after a decade of making music together, they announced they were splitting up. 'Reunite' follows their first best-of album, 2005's 'Unite' and is a compilation of carefully selected tracks that span the decade of the band's existence and encapsulates a variety of sounds that the band transitioned through. From a rap-ska fusion number in "Supertones Strike Back", to a rock influence in "Grounded". Some tracks such as "Hallelujah" (which is one of my personal favourites on this album) and "What It Comes To" remind me a little of UB40 with a reggae-ska twist. All songs are up beat and contain many funky rhythmic sections. They have a smokin' hot brass section, as any good ska band should have. The OC Supertones have certainly made the Christian ska sound their own and this album is a fine reminder of the way things were.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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