REVIEW: Long Beach Dub Allstars, Right Back (Dreamworks)
- Scott Hudson
For Sublime bandmates drummer Bud Gaugh and bassist Eric Wilson, 1996 was a year of unimaginable highs and tragic lows. There was the multi-platinum success of Sublime's self-titled disc coupled with the death of friend and frontman Brad Nowell of an heroin overdose. And while the death of Nowell brought the curtain down on the genre-defying Sublime, Gaugh and Wilson dusted themselves off and forged ahead with the formation of the Long Beach Dub Allstars and their debut release Right Back.
Right Back proves to be a departure, though not a total one, from the proven formula that made Sublime successful. This seven-piece unit further expands the musical boundries defined by their predecessor to create a reggae/rock/hip-hop/dub blowout where warm grooves and crunchy rhythms abound.
Absent however, are the hits. There is no "What I Got," "Santeria" or "Wrong Way" to captivate the airwaves. Instead there are twelve lively tracks that flow seamlessly from one song to the next while meticulously maintaining the integrity of their roots.
The record gets off to a great start with the road-trip party rockin' "Rosarito," while former Bad Brains frontman HR lends his haunting vocal expertise to "New Sun." On "Kick Down" the band lifts from the cool vibe of Billy Preston's classic chorus line "Nothin' from nothin' leaves nothin,'" while guest vocalist Tippa Irie takes you on a ganja-woven glide through Kingston on "Sensi." Reggae luminary Barrington Levy also reprises his own acoustic-driven, melodic ballad "Saw Red."
With Right Back, the Long Beach Dub Allstars have created an energetic and fluid offering that will undoubtably appeal to Sublime fans and reggae purists alike. And while listeners may find the band with one foot planted firmly in its players' celebrated past, they'll also notice the other stepping lively into the future.
