Prince Fatty
Survival of the Fattest
(Tommy Boy/Ras Music)
Riches lie deeply embedded in each of the 13 tracks. True to title, the low-end work of four bassists, three drummers, baritone sax player Jonathan Spall and trombonist Trevor Mires and, especially, Carlton “Bubblers” Ogilvie (Ruff Cut Band) on organ/piano, have created a modern masterpiece of soulful dub. Instrumentals “Mr. Freeze,” “Switch Blade” or The Specials-sounding “Scorpio” outshine tracks featuring Hollie Cook (on a Zero 7-sounding “Milk and Honey”), Winston Francis, Little Roy or the cover of Snoop’s “Gin and Juice.” Assembled and produced by Mike Pelanconi, this is a one-of-a-kind, special-moment record.
–Sean Flinn
This article appears in Oct 2-8, 2008.