Portland, Oregon’s Indubious is a trio of conscious musicians bringing funky, spaced out rhythms with a roots raggamuffin lyrical style that are similar to pacific rock bands such as The Black Seeds crossed with dancehall artists much like Damian Marley. Cosmic Seed, their second album, shows a notable progression from their debut, Fresh Leaves, which in itself was a fine album. Spanning from straight up reggae tracks like Be Kind to more Hip-Hop influenced ones such as Golden Tongue, which, by the way, is a collaboration with fellow dancehall heavyweight Prezident Brown, this album has something that anyone could appreciate. The variety of styles does not take from the flow of the album though as all of the songs are untited by a common message of peace and rightousness.
Alborosie – Escape From Babylon To The Kingdom Of Zion
I am not usually fond of VP releases, but I have to say this is an exception. Contrary to most VP records Alborosie’s Escape From Babylon To The Kingdom Of Zion boasts excellent production. While this in no way roots reggae, my preference, this unmistakeably dance hall record hits all the way through. Plenty of dub style reverb and effects mixed with horns, plenty of bass, and hot lyrics makes this a catchy album with plenty of great tracks. Perhaps what makes this release different from other VP releases is that Alborosie is a multi-instrumental artists playing every part on many of his songs. A few of my favorite tracks were Kingston Town, Money, and Kingdom of Zion.