Hub City Stompers - Ska Ska Black Sheep (Stubborn Records)

On Hub City Stompers’ latest album Ska Ska Black Sheep, you a get an explosive mix of ska, reggae, dub, and a little punk rock.   What makes Hub City one of my favorite groups is their original sound and their often sarcastic tongue-in-cheek lyrics supplied by Rev. Sinister (also vocalist from Inspecter 7 and formerly of Steel Toe Solution).  This album can easily be divided into two parts.  Part one, the first six tracks are new songs dealing with their usual topics the ska scene (the title track of course and the brilliant “Ska Train to Dorkville”, women (“Clutch Tango” and “New Tattoo”), and drinking/partying (“Where’s My Hooligans?” and “Tip Your Bartender”).   The other part of the album has dub versions of some of their songs that appear on their previous releases.

Naomi Shelton and the Gospel Queens - What Have You Done, My Brother? (Daptone Records, 2009)

I discovered Naomi Shelton and the Gospel Queens a few weeks ago when they opened up for Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings.  Naomi Shelton is a singer you won't hear on the radio or on MTV or read about in any magazine. She is an old-school gospel singer playing straight up gospel music.  She has a voice and a stage presence from another time and the music just hits you in the chest.  I cannot say I own any straight up gospel, but this music inspired many of my favorite artists including Al Green, Aretha Franklin, Toots, and Otis Redding. And many more got their start from this music.  What Sharon Jones is trying to do with soul music, Naomi Shelton is trying for gospel music.  And boy can she wail.... On their debut album, you get 12 blistering soulful tracks with heart.

The Aggrolites - IV (Hellcat Records)

The band’s fourth studio album, aptly titled IV keeps up with their funky reggae sound they have crafted since their debut Dirty Reggae.  The band uses the entire length of a CD to their advantage by including 21 tracks that span a wide variety of songs.  The music has evolved quite a bit and the band is channeling The Meteors as much as the Upsetters.

The opening track “Firecracker” is a fun track about a short fused, angry, tough guy.  The music goes from a slow groove to a frantic beat in the matter of seconds.  “What a Complex” has a smooth reggae groove with deep and heavy backing vocals that so many old Jamaican groups used including the Pioneers.  The third track is classic Aggrolites “Wild Time.” It reminds me a lot of “Pop the Trunk,” “Reggae Hit L.A.” and “Lucky Streak” with lots of hand-clapping and group choruses.  “Feelin’ Alright” could be called an Aggro-manifesto – the lyrics seem to tell their story in their own words, sharing stories from touring around the world, thoughts on the music industry, the passing of David Fuentes from Hepcat, and other personal reflections.  The line that hits you the most is a simple question, “Whatever happened to feel good music?”

Skavesa' - 10 Years of Love and Hate (Skool Bus Records)

Skavesa' from Italy, has been around in one form or another for ten years.  Considering most bands struggle to stay together five years, this is quite a celebration.  Of course in ten years a band does change and evolve.  This album documents a variety of styles from soulful reggae to ska to slow grooving reggae.  The gruff but soulful vocals of Ferrari Fabrizio anchors all the songs on the album.  This album was produced by King Django and Victor Ruggiero and recorded in the U.S. a couple years ago.  They did a great job on capturing the band's varied sound and styles.