John Brown’s Body
“Spirits All Around Us”
Grade: A-

Watch out for John Brown’s Body and its reggae “riddims,” because this band is one of the hottest things to hit music since Ziggy Marley accidentally set fire to one of his dreadlocks.

Mixing traditional reggae with elements of roots-rock, dub and ska, the award-winning nine-piece outfit stands poised to take the reggae world by storm with its latest album, “Spirits All Around Us.”

With this in mind, JBB’s fourth album is the type of CD that makes a guy want to kick back with a bottle of Redstripe and a phatty bone while listening to its head-bobbing reggae rhythms.

The album’s first track, “Feel,” is an uplifting number with an airy texture. Supported by the band’s brass section, the track has a fairly traditional reggae mood to it that, nonetheless, manages to come off with its own particular sound.

Its second tune, “33 Revolutions,” is a new spin on reggae. Distorted guitar riffs and brassy horns join with dub-influenced lyrics, basslines and downtempos to create a highly original groove.

JBB returns to the traditional style, however, for the disc’s third track, “Eyes of the Maker” — a chill, transcendent tune accentuated by a combination of piano, organ, trumpets, drums and guitars along with lyrics like, “Everything has an end/ Spoken of in the beginning.”

Soulful humming and Kevin Kinsenella’s smooth, sublime lyrics characterize Track 4, a number called “Travelling Man.”

The interplay between both rhythm and lead guitars on this track subtly utilizes reggae tempos while creating unique textures that avoid the genre’s clich�s.

Track 5, “Original Man,” begins with a deep, distorted bassline, which gradually moves toward a faster tempo as layered guitars, drums and horns proceed to enter the groove.

Kinsenella’s upbeat lyrics sometimes retain a particular dub sensibility on this track, mixing Jamaican dialect with standard English lyrics at certain points.

The next song, “Good Vibes,” is another chill, feel-good number which begins with the organic sounds of an acoustic guitar and hand drums.

From there, the track evolves as an electric guitar, horns and drums are added.

Although the CD contains many more great tracks, the album’s first half stands as the strongest, with great songs and unique approaches to the reggae genre.

While I’m not quite sure what the band’s radical abolitionist namesake would think of its ultra-chill sound, it is more than likely that he would approve of its members’ success.

– Edwin Childs