Deal’s Gone Bad were recently in Minneapolis and played a well-reviewed show at the Triple Rock.  Check out a review of their latest album, The Ramblers, after the jump.

By Bari Sax

October 10, 2008

The Ramblers is the fourth album from Chicago-based ska/soul/reggae band Deal’s Gone Bad.  It is the first to feature lead singer Todd Hembrook, who’s voice is a close match for Otis Redding; this gives the record it’s unique, soulful character.

The Ramblers starts off with three great cuts—“Messin’ Around,” “Movin’ On,” and “You Get The Keys”—that one could consider “single worthy.”  These are, for the most part, the top cuts of the album.  Other top cuts include the bouncy “Rough and Ready,” an ode to relaxation and having fun, and the haunting, ethereal, country-infused “I Was Wrong,” about a lost love.  Most of the songs deal in the themes of relationships, heartbreak and love; some have said that it drags the album down and makes it monotonous.  I see The Ramblers more as a theme album, and that these are the themes it follows.  This would indeed make perfect sense, and allows one to enjoy the album more than if you focus on the idea of the themes being repetitive. 

The songwriting on the album is superb.  Even songs like “City City” that could be considered fillers by some are well written, and this makes the album feel solid all around.  Todd Hembrook, as mentioned before, has a voice that is a near match for Otis Redding’s, and he has the talents to boot.  His tone and Redding inspirations give the album a more soulful feel, and it mixes well with the ska/reggae grooves.  Even the fact that nearly every song deals with similar themes of love and heartbreak doesn’t weigh the album down; the band gives each song its own unique spin that keeps the subject from getting too familiar.  The horn section, too, livens up the music, laying down great solos and providing background support.  My only complaint might be that there could be more horns, or at least more active parts for them that would bring them to the front a little more rather than keeping them in the back as support for much of the album.  Still, there feels like there is a good balance within the band between vocals, horns, and the rhythm section, and to mess with it too much in any one area would throw off the balance and wreck the groove.

The mixing and production of the album is also well done.  Never is there a point where one part of the band can’t be heard or one section is too loud and drowns out the rest of the band; everything achieves a nice balance, making the album enjoyable not only musically but also aesthetically.

The Ramblers is a solid album, worthy of all the praise it has received.  It’s well written, well mixed, and well sung; it’s enjoyable to listen to and it has replay value (I’m on at least my fifth run through of the album), a trait that serves it well and sets it apart from many albums that are available now, ska and non-ska alike.  I would actually go as far as to say that it is a classic ska album, not just of the third wave (or the period after it fell out of popularity) but even in all of ska’s long history.  That may be a matter of personal opinion, but I would surely nominate it if a list was ever compiled.  I recommend The Ramblers highly to anyone who likes ska, or even fans of soul music—heavy amounts of both are present here.  It also makes a nice introduction to ska for some who don’t know about the music; I have had two friends who really liked the album who had previously never heard of ska. 

Rating (out of five stars): * * * * *

Track Listing (tracks marked with a “+” indicate recommended tracks)

1. Messin’ Around +
2. Movin’ On +
3. You Get the Keys +
4. Cry For Me
5. One More Day
6. Things Are Gonna Get Better
7. Rough and Ready +
8. Good Old Days
9. City City +
10. Take Time
11. The Cost
12. I Was Wrong +

 

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Tags: CD Reviews, Deal's Gone Bad, great albums, The Ramblers

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