The Slackers

The Question (Hellcat)
by Jessica Brommelhoff

The Slackers, born in 1991, have been frequently lumped together with first wave ska legends The Skatalites. Many would shout sacrilege, but after a listen to the Slackers’ first album, Better Late Than Never, released in 1996, they’d chill out a bit, as the comparison is inevitable with the Slackers’ true-to-its-Jamaican-roots music. With three albums in three years, their latest, The Question, out last October, they’ve proven that they work hard enough to deserve the distinction.

After strapping on my rude girl shoes and throwing the Slackers’ latest into my CD player, I hit play and was not disappointed with the first track, “Manuel.” Definitely skankable, it moves slowly enough so as not to exhaust the Rudi by the end. The second track, “Knowing,” hits you with back-up vocals reminiscent of ’60s pop music and a slow beat, that instead of mellowing you out keeps you grooving. The beat picks up a bit with “Have the Time,” but slows down again until “Mountainside,” which starts with sitars and a faster calypso beat. It’s the kind of song that makes you expect to see palm trees and a guy selling weed outside your window, instead of the cold New England gray. “Do You Know,” the only tune written by the drummer, not surprisingly has a great beat.

The album’s 19 songs have amazingly tight rhythm and great calypso musical grooves, true to ’60s-style ska, but without sounding dated or tired. As for favorites, “Manuel” and “Mountainside” really jump out the way that “Sarah” (off Better Late Than Never) and “Watch This” (off Redlight) did. For those already fans of root ska and those exploring it for the first time (there’s more to life than Reel Big Fish, kids), this album is recommended.
(2798 Sunset Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90026)