John Brown’s Body
Amplify
(Easy Star)
This oddly dubbed band (named for a 19th-century American abolitionist) came together through a meeting of members from Boston and upstate New York. Singer and co-producer Elliott Martin, who went through throat surgery prior to making this album, brings a classic-sounding voice—a higher tenor carrying passion and urgency to the tracks—to bear on this contemporary reggae outfit, especially uptempo songs such as “Push Some Air” or “Shake the Dice.” It sounds like his gig. Pop and hip-hop aspects of the band often outweigh the reggae, which are sometimes relegated to accents or motifs. Adjust expectations.
—Sean Flinn
This article appears in Nov 13-19, 2008.