REVIEW: General Public, Rub It Better (Epic)

- Scott Byron

Everything old is new again... As yet another (a new) wave of nostalgia washes over us (shouldn't we have expected this? Won't we ever learn?) comes the return of General Public, the poppier group that in the mid-'80s grew out of the fragments of seminal new wave/ska group the (English) Beat. It's been almost ten years since General Public have released a new album (last year's hit cover of the Spinners' "I'll Take You There" was from the Threesome soundtrack, and is not included here), and it's as if they never skipped, er, a Beat. Indeed it's as if pop music has caught up to them, with pop-tinged reggae tunes regularly popping up in the top ten today.

There are no big surprises on Rub It Better, just a lot of clever songs, fine musicianship, and the trademark vocal interplay of Jamaican toaster Ranking Roger and English pop singer Dave Wakeling. It's the blending of those once disparate vocal qualities and their seamless fusion of reggae grooves into Brit-pop that at one time made General Public a unique presence on the pop scene. Though no longer as distinctive, their return is still a welcome one, perhaps as a balance to the (equally welcome) "punk" angst that's dominating the pop scene.

Indeed the Beat rose from the same punk scene that spawned new wave, and they flaunt their credentials on a song called "Punk," a rapid-fire Ranking Roger tune that's one of this album's highlights. Throughout the album, the lyrics bounce between relationship themes ("Big Bed," "Friends Again") and politically tinged pop tunes ("Handgun" is likely the most joyous tune ever to advocate throwing all of the guns away). There's also a reggaeish cover of Van Morrison's "Warm Love." Producer Jerry Harrison is a fine choice for the band, as he has a great ear for pop grooves, which are always at the core of this band's sound. And groove it does.

Rub It Better is hardly a classic, just a collection of fine pop songs which would make a wonderful soundtrack to anyone's springtime.