Look at All Love We Found: Tribute to Sublime
The celebratory spirit behind tribute albums doesn't suit every subject. More than a single swaggering rock star has come off as limp and self-loving, and thoughtful chanteuses have gone sappy or sour--which is why saluting the California garage punks ofSublimemakes a lot of sense. For one thing, it's nearly impossible to screw up the collapsed band's sunny, to-hell-with-it vibe--its music is a mood encapsulated--and for another, any artist cool enough to take on one of its songs knows instinctively to embrace the ska sensibility and not skimp on energy. What we get withLook at All the Love,is a party with all the right props. No Doubt was an obvious choice and, on the disc's only live track, "DJ's," Gwen Stefani turns in a mid-speed sway-and-bobber;  Jack Johnson chills on "Badfish/Boss DJ"; G. Love goes for funk-rock broke with "Greatest Hits"; and the artful Greyboy Allstars send "Doin Time" to jazz school. A single caveat: Hipsters who followed Sublime in its mid-90s heyday and have since had kids should order tiny earplugs with their copies. Fishbone does an admirable job with "Date Rape," but it's still as profane as ever.--Tammy La Gorce