Dub Like An Antelope

Having followed The Dead and then Phish for 25 years now, while always listening to Reggae, you can say I'm a bit of a skeptic when it comes to "Tribute" records, or in this case, a "Celebration" record, as most of these records fall short of the mark. But when I saw the artists that cut tracks on this record, I knew it wasn't the same old thing, and I'm pleased to say I was right.

Toots and The Maytals nailing "Back on the Train." Steel Pulse doing 'Farmhouse", dance-hall style. Sly Dunbar (Black Uhuru)and Robbie Lynn on "Waste", Chalice and King Yellowman sharing the spotlight on "Bouncing", Bob Andy serenading on 'Waste" and Wayne Armond singing soulfully on "Bug". Folks, it doesn't get much better, as artists like these do not put out sub-par music.

But what I found to be some of the truly inspiring tracks came from artists not in the mainstream. Tessanne Chin's vocals on "Free" are nothing short of spectacular, as are the beats and vocals on "Makisupa" and "Boogie on Reggae Woman", where newcombers The Rootz Underground kept me on my feet as one sequed nicely into the other. And I love the lead singer's raspy voice.

If you like Phish and/or Reggae, then this is a no brainer - it is well worth the download. There is nothing out there that even come close. [Review by Tosh44]

Or you can just download the mp3s