Review: Given that Neil Anderson's Original Gravity label is an unashamed tribute to the 1960s ska and rocksteady sounds he loves (with occasional diversions into rhythm & blues and reggae), it's little surprise to see the imprint's house band, Woodfield Road Allstars, take on 'Shank I Sheck', a much-loved 'riddim' that was written, and first recorded, by Baba Brooks way back in 1964. The Woodfield Road Allstars version is a hazy, head-nodding rocksteady treat rich in heady Hammond organ licks, languid trumpet solos and jazz guitars aplenty. Over on the flip, Prince Deadly (likely an alias for Anderson) provides a lightly rewritten riff on the same core ingredients, naturally pushing the trumpet to the fore while reaching for dub-style effects and other 'versioning' studio tricks.
Review: Original Gravity sidestep into rocksteady with a new 7" one from Woodfield Road Allstars, limited to just 120 copies. Fixtures of the OG label since 2021, the Allstars' music so far has made for a stellar panorama in highly saturated dub reggae. New cuts 'The Sensational' and 'Farewell Chelsea Girl' both bring a civic verve to a hard-limited amplitudinal window; track one takes full advantage of the low rumbles spat out by the Mellotron when it clips the upper limit. Track two lets up on things, opening out the steambox to reveal an equally brow-sunned, Hammond organic two-toner.
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