This Good Thing

Traditional ska with some rocksteady and early reggae thrown in, faithfully playing authentic Jamaican rhythms topped by distinctly American-style songwriting and vocals that often dominate the songs. By no means an American ska classic, but superior trombone work and precise Jamaican rhythms make a few tracks worth a listen. Produced by legendary ska musician and producer Victor Rice.
FCC Clean. Start with: 9,12,14 then: 6,11,17
Reviewed by: Coop

1. Organ-driven, fast ska, tedious reggae break from 2:50 to end.
2. Embellished by trombone outbursts, steady rhythm but much real feeling to it
3. Bouncy ska, lots of tricky drum fills, Slackers knock-off, especially in vocal
4. *Soulful vocal, good trombone soloing, fun dance number
5. Rocksteady, Upsetters-style reggae intro, competent vocal harmonies, organ bubbling in background
6. *Trombone leads this uptempo ska shaker
7. Annoying/whiney vocals over skinhead reggae rhythm
8. Spooky organ over fast ska, Spaghetti Western guitar solo mid-song
9. **Fast ska with roots rock and roll influence, sing along chorus, danceable, potentially irritating as vocals sound like a Beastie Boy singing ska karaoke, fun song overall
10. Dub Reggae
11. *Fast ska, dark-sounding organ and vocals, danceable
12. **Smooth, early-reggae/rock steady chill-out tune, percussion and horn lines lend a Latin/Cuban Jazz feeling
13. Fast ska, reminiscent of early Toasters songs, fed-up sing along chorus
14. **Rhythmically-dense reggae cut, simple-but-enjoyable lyrics about finding worth in being dumped by a greedy girlfriend, chill-out track
15. Fun mid-tempo ska, clean lyrics possibly about pedophilia/Lolita relationship
16. Mid-tempo ska with slow intro and breakdowns, honky-tonkish influence
17. *Instrumental version of old standard, trombone does usual vocal parts, suprisingly effective
18. Effects-laden dub version of Track 17, unnecessary, stick to Track 17
19. Dub of track 9, intro to 54 sec., followed by silence/worthless hidden track, avoid this one.