Neville Staple

Less a solo record then yet another Specials offshoot, Neville Staple gathers up bandmates Lynval Golding and Roddy Radiation, modern member keyboardist Mark Adams, and visiting vocalists Sheena Staple and Kendell Smith for the fun-filled Skanktastic. It's really a glorified EP, six songs long, all covers of classic Jamaican hits. There are a few courtesy of the Wailers -- Bob Marley's "Simmer Down" and "Hypocrite" -- alongside Peter Tosh's "Maga Dog," the Slickers' (aka the Pioneers) "Johnny Too Bad," the Maytals' ever-popular "Pressure Drop," and a new take on the eternal rudie saga "Rude Boy Gone Jail." You can't go wrong with songs like these.

And Staple doesn't; what's surprising is how close to the original atmospheres he gets. The sweet melodies are lovingly re-created, pouring from Radiation's lead guitar, sparkling out of Adams' keyboards, and flooding from the backing harmonies.

But sharp readers will already have noted the major flaw with one glance at the cast list. The top end is nigh-on perfect, but the bottom end leaves much to be desired. There's percussion, but without a drummer or bassist the rhythms are all digital, which might have worked if the set was served up dancehall-style. But it's not, and the overly simplistic drum and bass programming destroys the very richness of the atmospheres the group works so hard to create. The vocals are sublime, Staple a star, the musicianship masterful, the arrangements sympathetic, but at its rhythmic center it's hollow. Nice idea otherwise. ~ Jo-Ann Greene, All Music Guide