The dubwise companion to
Christafari's powerful
Word Sound & Power album is quite good, but most aficionados of dub may find it just a bit lackluster. Both the credit for its generally high sonic quality and the blame for its lack of inspiration can be laid at the feet of engineer Jim Fox, a true friend of modern roots reggae who has produced fine albums by
Israel Vibration,
Big Mountain, the
Melodians, and many others, but whose dub treatments tend to sound a bit sterile. Despite some laudably creative gestures here on tracks like "Dub Inna de Night" and the bass-heavy "Render Your Dub," the overall sound would have benefited from a little bit of roughening around the edges. Recommended primarily to those who loved
Word Sound & Power; those who are just looking for a good dub album would do better to start with some vintage
King Tubby or
Augustus Pablo. ~ Rick Anderson