Pressure Points
Over the course of a handful of albums, John Brown's Body has gotten tons of props for its approach to reggae. Far from being some Bob Marley cover band that plays reggae night at a Daytona Beach bar, the Boston/Ithaca, NY-based band fuses socially conscious lyrics with a vintage roots sound epitomized in the use of B3 organ, a horn section, great harmony vocals and a general warm analog production sound that recalls reggae's 1970s heyday. The eight-piece band's first album for the great Easy Star label sticks with that sound while also tastefully updating it with a bit more pop melody carried on the vocals, particularly on "Blazing Love" and "Make It Easy." Those looking for something more rootsy among the dozen songs should get what they need from "What We Gonna Do?" or the chugging "Resonate." Some question the band's origins in the Northeast (and not Jamaica), but there is no roots reggae band out there better than JBB.-- Tad Hendrickson