King Django has been a mainstay of New York's traditional ska scene for close to two decades now, and has recorded with a variety of national and international artists over the course of his career. This album has its origins in sessions he recorded in 2003 with a Swiss ska and reggae band called the Scrucialists; German dancehall legend Dr. Ring Ding joined in as well on several songs, and for its American release, the Jump Up label added a couple of dancehall-flavored remixes to the generally rootsy reggae and ska program.
Django has always been a good singer but an exquisite toaster, and true to form, it's the numbers on which he rides the rhythm in a deejay style that really shine on this program, especially the two ("Feast" and the brilliant "Dancehall Rock") on which he is joined by the formidable Dr. Ring Ding. But the showcase-style "Veteran of the Psychic Wars" is a solid winner as well, as are his cover version of
the Cure's "Six Different Ways" and the solidly chugging "Troddin' Along," which seems to be built on a homemade variant of the "Ring the Alarm" rhythm. This copy includes, as a bonus disc, a ten-year retrospective of the impressive Jump Up catalog. Highly recommended.