Rebelution: Count Me In

Bill Murphy on June 11, 2014

Punky reggae parties have been back in worldwide-vogue for a while now, thanks in part to a new generation of youth rockers that includes NYC’s Easy Star All-Stars, New Zealand’s Fat Freddy’s Drop, Germany’s Seeed and plenty more. Hailing from Santa Barbara, Calif., Rebelution cultivates a sunsplashy sound that owes a lot to the pop-reggae efforts of Black Uhuru and Third World. Count Me In is the band’s fourth outing and overall, it’s an easy-on-the-ears confection—check out the sing-along “More Love”—with convincing flashbacks of real roots. (The aptly titled “Roots Reggae Music” features a welcome guest shot from original Uhuru vocalist Don Carlos.) If you can get past Eric Rachmany’s unusual penchant for auto-tuning his vocals—to his credit, he uses it more as an effect than a crutch—then Count Me In stands out from the West Coast Sublime-influenced crowd with seamless and slick dancehall-style grooves, and is more tech-savvy than thrash-ready.

Artist: Rebelution
Album: Count Me In
Label: 87 Music/ Easy Star