KING BLUES, THE:
Under the Fog: CD
There is something so inherently tacky about an Anglo chap shouting his political incantations in a bogus Jamaican accent. Clearly, if this bloke were to try and lift some verbal cues from Lee “Scratch” Perry and perhaps the backing band tried to sound more like The Upsetters, I would dig this release more. The songs range from roots reggae that dabbles at times with some Billy Bragg-esque type folk instrumentation and ska-heavy hip hop. The songs are performed well enough and the production has a modern feel to it. The group chooses to sing about leftist politics and, at times, can sound naïvely juvenile. Thus is the case when they tackle the maelstrom of international arms in the song “Duck and Cover.” Lyrics include “Where did I leave those weapons of mass destruction? Did I leave them in the car? Did they fall in back of the sofa?” It is important to note that they did not print the lyrics to this song in the album jacket. Perhaps they are onto something…. –Chris Prorock –Guest Contributor (Household)