Monday, March 25, 2013

#812 Bob Marley and the Wailers - Catch a Fire

Full disclosure, I think reggae is fuckin booooooring. How many ways can you go ummp-ba! ummp-ba! endlessly? Maybe everyone just wanted to sound like Bob Marley, and specifically chose the most basic blueprint to draw from. However it happened, I know of no other scene that's so innovation-averse.

Except, I have to confess, this is actually a much richer, more enjoyable, more musically and emotionally diverse album than you might expect given what filters itself into the pseudo-mainstream. The backbones is painfully samey, but each song carries some kind of interesting rhythmic, melodic, or tonal twist that keeps it interesting. And, maybe most importantly, while it is legitimately soothing, it also dares to make an impact, even at the risk of harshing your buzz.

Still not my scene, but I'm glad I forced myself to bother - far better than expected 3.5/5

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