Gentleman's Dub Club - Down To Earth
An excellent return from the UK reggae evergreens...
After finding themselves ‘Lost In Space’ in early 2019, *Gentleman’s Dub Club* continued their voyage through some of the freshest sunshine sounds, and now is the time to unveil a new chapter.
November's release of single ‘Castle In The Sky’ started paving the way for things to come, bringing us back ‘Down To Earth’ with a brand new album announced Exploring the diverse and expressive world of reggae over the last few years with their ‘Pound For Pound’ collaboration with The Nextmen, plus their cover of Bill Withers’ ‘Use Me’ featuring Kiko Bun and their mission through time, space and bass on album #7, the Gents have used the album to masterfully combine organic reggae roots with their own fresh approach to song-writing and new heights of production.
Continuing their strong partnership with the mighty Easy Star Records and having a helping hand from Gardna and Hollie Cook was only ever going to have one outcome. ‘Castle In The Sky’ boasts a smooth-as-you-like bass groove, effortlessly flowing breakbeat rhythms, synth stabs and the inimitable partnering of Johnny Scratchley’s and Hollie Cook’s vocal harmonies, ‘Honey’ hits the sweet spot from the get-go and it’s no surprise that Steve Lamacq has already given it a spin. Impossible not to bob your head to and oozing with the unmistakeable Dub Club feel, this is the way to kickstart 2021.
Tracks like ‘Night Shift’ confront the often-dreary reality we find ourselves in, the upbeat tempo of the track, couple with Gardna’s lyrical prowess empower the album with an injection of energy.
The full album is a seriously impressive body of work that sees the group help us break through day-to-day monotony with smooth dub, reggae, ska, jazz and electronica. ‘Down To Earth’ is a seriously impressive journey through different eras of the genres that they hold dear. No stone is left unturned as the origins of dub are revisited, reinvented and reinstated in this production masterclass.
*8/10*
Words:* Josh Crowe *
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