Somehow, two guys who should by all rights be stuck busy with their main gigs cooked up one of the most legit vintage ska/reggae/rocksteady records to come out of Southern California in years, and i am really glad they did. Matt Hensley (Flogging Molly) and Sean Wheeler (Throw Rag) have been chipping away at this since 2017. Nearly ten years later, Rude and Lovely is finally out.
Hensley pulled in old Spy Kids bandmates (Mark McLemore on drums, Jason Bowen on bass, John Roy on sax) plus Keith Douglas (Mariachi El Bronx / ex-Mad Caddies) on trumpet, and also a pretty stacked lineup of guests. Roger Rivas from the Aggrolites co-produced and mixed it too and you can hear the Aggrolites sound which is a great thing.
What it sounds like, it’s exactly the deal the title is promising: rude and lovely. You get classic rocksteady and early reggae rhythms, warm horns and bass that bounces. There’s this loose, lived in kind of vibe—sweet enough to make you grin, but not so tidy that it starts feeling like a museum exhibit. “Too Rad To Be Sad” is straight up sunshine and grit, resilience without tipping into corny. The title track calls in Felipe Galvan from Los Skarnales and it hits hard, real hard.
The rest of the record—Number One, Luxury Nights, Eastside Girl, Soul Rumble, Wires, First Love, Look ’Em In The Eyes, They Don’t Want To Know, Easy Come Easy Go—keeps that same mood going the whole time.
Put it up loud. Skank around the living room like nobody’s watching. This one’s a real keeper.
Reactie plaatsen
Reacties