1.25.2012

REVIEW: Rebelution - Peace Of Mind

Rebelution's latest release is a bit of an undertaking on their part. Essentially they have released 3 full length albums. The first is "Peace Of Mind," a collection of brand new original reggae fueled tracks that is their best yet. The other two are the first album reinvented. "Peace Of Mind Dub" is a remix album by Michael Goldwasser of Easy Star Allstars which takes the already excellent reggae sound of Rebelution's new album and revamps it into a dirty funky dub reggae masterpiece. This is the kind of stuff that you'd excpect to hear coming straight out of Jamaica. The third in the set is an acoustic take on the full length album, showing off the intricacies of the songs, focusing on the lyrics and melody, rather than the funk and reggae. "Peace Of Mind Acoustic" solidifies Rebelution as a force in the reggae world, showing that the band is not just all about being fun and funky, but the whole package of making music is very important to them. As for the songs, there are some really great tunes on here. "Sky Is The Limit," the album's debut single, is by far Rebelution's most energetic song and bridges their signature style with the accessibility of mainstream alternative and reggae rock music. "Route Around" is the gem of the collection, sowing a softer more poignant side of the band. SOJA's Jacob Hemphill and Blues Traveler's John Popper make guest appearances on the disc, and each of their songs is amplified by their contributions. Rebelution is blasting to the forefront of their genre and is now a force to be reckoned with.