Katchafire: Revival

By GRAHAM REID

(Herald rating: * * * * *)

The inevitable comments that this album sounds like it could have been made in 1976 rather miss the point. As the title and cover art tell you - and the snappy, memorable and classically framed reggae within confirms - Hamilton's Katchafire wave the red, green and gold banner for traditional values in this music. And here they deliver our most consistent Bob-reggae album in decades. Actually, ever.

Criticism along the "retro" line is, however, somewhat misplaced when you line up Lose Your Power with its rapid rap, the jazzy guitar solo in Get Away, and the sinuous sax lines which coil around these melodies.

Musically this band - which knows Marley's catalogue backwards and can play it at will - doesn't stray too far from the template Brother Bob and the Wailers laid down, but they write original lyrics which are also about this place and time. Get Away is about hard realities of life ("Excuse me sir me car broke down, my Mrs left me with the baby now"), and Seriously is a love song grounded in the real world ("I don't drive no flash car, I don't wear no flash ring girl").

Singers Logan Bell and Jamey Ferguson have warm, classic, soul-reggae voices - they also produced this, which was mastered and mixed by Dubious Brother Chris Macro - and the rhythms are finely honed and locked down tight.

Katchafire also write immediately memorable material across a number of reggae styles from pop to mellowed dubness which prove last year's Giddy Up single was no fluke. One listen to the self-explanatory Reggae Revival, the soulful close-harmony Who You With and Colour Me Life, or the dark Afro-skank of Collie Herb Man and it's as if you'd known them all your life. Part of that is Katchafire ringing some familiar changes, but there's a natural, breezy lightness about the music despite lyrics which probe.

Without qualm they also close with a slightly beefed-up version of Marley's Redemption Song and its message fits in seamlessly with what has gone before. Katchafire understand this music and their audience.

The unbelievably catchy Giddy Up (included here) was last year's biggest- selling single for good reason. It touched people in the heartland and my guess is, despite those critics, this will do the same. Deservedly so.

Label: Mai