Judge Roughneck- Pick It Up
by Tim Wenger
What a breath of fresh air! There is still solid rocksteady ska coming out of the Mile High City. The 4th album album from Judge Roughneck, titled Pick You Up, combines the band’s traditional elements of ska and reggae tied together with magnificent production. Featuring an excellent cover of The English Beat’s “Mirror In The Bathroom” featuring Fishbone’s Angelo Moore, the record is a non-stomp dancer.
Tight horn lines sit between pocketed vocals on a full twelve songs of upstroke guitar that hooked longtime Roughneck fans on their first two records. Very reminiscent of the British wave, Judge Roughneck certainly has still not caved in to the ‘ska-punk’ movement, focusing instead on the original style that popularized the originally Jamaican genre worldwide beginning in the sixties.
Lyrically, the record focuses heavily on the good-time dancing and unity themes that ska music is known for. The title track “Pick You Up” lives up to its name, showcasing the fastest tempo on the record, but the tracks are danceable throughout. Time to get out the skankin’ shoes for the cd release party June 5 at Cervantes and Skaloradofest 2015 June 14 at Casseleman’s!
Online: judgeroughneck.com
Category: asides2
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