Many don't like American reggae because of its rocky character. Nevertheless, in view of the large number of American bands (Tribal Seeds, Groundation, Slightly Stoopid, SOJA, Passafire, Stick Figure and many others) and their success, "rock reggae" has long since attained the status of a subgenre. Even Bob Marley & The Wailers sometimes had two lead guitarists (Al Anderson & Junior Marvin) in their standard line-up, who occasionally rocked properly. So basically nothing new. The “Arise Roots”, founded in 2010, have also been among the exposed American bands for some time. The band was formed with the intention of forming a new and unique roots reggae band that would reflect the collective passions of the six musicians. "Arise Roots", the band from the streets of Los Angeles, pursued one goal from the very beginning: to create a fresh reggae sound with a modern feel that appeals to all walks of life, ages and races, without compromising the true roots reggae feeling . In 2020, the six musicians released their critically acclaimed fourth album,Pathways“ (Ineffable Records). A few days ago (27.01.) was the first Dub- Album of the band: "Dubways' (Ineffable Records). As the name suggests, a complete one Dub-Version of the "Pathways". The album was mixed by the Zion I Kings, the trinity of modern American reggae. Through their work over the last decade, the Zion I Kings have created a kind of musical return of reggae to its roots, and that's what "Dubways”, but just like the American, rockier, roots reggae variant. We hear excellently rehearsed, organic and very relaxed Dub-Sound with Yamaha keyboards, fat bass guitar, playful e-guitar solos, vibrating drums and pleasantly floating song fragments from the original album. I was particularly impressed by lead guitarist Robert Sotelo, who adds his unmistakable signature of riffs and licks to the overall sound.
All in all - also thanks to Zion I Kings - a very successful, relaxed album from America's west coast.
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Arise Roots: Dubways
6 replies to “Arise Roots : Dubways"
A few years ago I saw them playing live in concert and within minutes I found myself hypnotized by the slow, swinging, steady rhythm. Their first Dub Album is awesome! A real gem. Many thanks for recommendation.
Nice part! The bass grooves in the midst of successful guitar riffs that alternate between surprisingly soft and edgy. The riddims on the album make the perfect soundtrack for a lazy weekend at the beach, or they can just as easily turn the stress of work into something calm, comfortable, and bearable.
Yeah man
So I'm there too! I've liked Arise Roots for a long time anyway. "She is so dangerous" is my top favorite by Arise Roots. A big tune for me.
There is such a nice balance between melancholy and upliftment, which I also use here as a heading for the ones I feel like Dubs can write down.
A very beautiful one Dubdisc that offers everything I have to offer Dub among other things like that. Very nice horn "shreds" that don't overwhelm me, but rather go back to my eg "ASWAD Dubcloud" and let me grin contentedly. Nice accented drums and I can't complain about the bass lines on the whole either. The effects make beautifulDubBlingBling" and the sound as well as the melodies bring the "Amirican Dream" to new life. It's a great way for me to do a soul migration across the western American prairies all the way to Yellowstone National Park in the spring. The big wide world opens up for me without having to sit in a cramped seat in economy class for 8 to 12 hours before the plane finally lands again.
With the last two Dubs (I don't even know the vocal disc yet), sometimes in the intro, sometimes in the main part, I have the feeling that I know some of the role models of
Arise Roots for a very long time. At the intro of “You Can Have It All Dub' I clearly take a strong kinship with 'Revelation' that Natty Dread was on, while on 'Fade Away.' Dub' I'm inclined to hum 'Ride Natty Ride' to myself, which is particularly due to the BassLine.
Yes, it would be nice if this album made it to CD or affordable vinyl. Vinyl would have to appear as a double LP, so you don't have to leave anything out. The lemmi doesn't accept that at all. I threw my hands over my head and wondered why half the world is made up of insane people.
Ne vinyl LP, where something is missing ………. is almost worse than a high pass filter on the cimbels......
Good tip RasAbe, as "said" I'm in! ……………………….. lemmi
How nice that the content of the first sentence disappears into thin air in the course of the subsequent text. He's a prejudice. All of the bands mentioned do not stand for a "rocking" variant of reggae in terms of their basic principles. Anyone who has followed the band Groundation for 20 years and experienced it live, who has seen the albums by Arise Roots, Tribal Seeds, E. N Young, Iya Terra, Nick Sefakis, Fikir Amlak and even the legendary John Brown's Body or 10Ft. Hearing Ganja Plant and – of course – the productions of the Zion I Kings, he has known that for a long time ... In the USA, an independent colorful scene has developed since the 80s (z. B. already at the time the band Killer Bees), which not only adds nuances to reggae.
I definitely recommend putting out the reggae feelers - Roots Rock Reggae!
Oh yeah Thomas
I dug out the legendary Michael E. Johnson & The Killer Bees: Live in Berlin again. The album is still really rocking and has survived the long storage very well. The "Botha" track is a true contemporary document.
The studio album Groovin' still can't fully convince me. Still: thanks for the reminder, the Killer Bees had been completely forgotten over time. Even the fact that Michael E. Johnson has already moved to the realm of the ancestors rushed past me.
https://songwhip.com/michaelejohnsonandthekillerbees/live-in-berlin
https://songwhip.com/killerbees/groovin
A really good review!!!
Best regards from reggae-albums.com!