Band : The Slackers
Album title : The Great Rocksteady Swindle
Label : Hellcat Records
Distributor : Epitaph – PIAS
Release date : 19/04/2010
Release : CD

This Brooklyn, New York based Ska band was formed all the way back in 1991. Over the years several members of the band have entertained side-projects, including David Hillyard & The Rocksteady Seven, Crazy Baldhead Sound System, Da Whole Thing, the SKAndalous All Stars, and Vic Ruggiero’s solo acoustic project. Aha, you say, that’s a name we know!? Well, I do anyway, because I reviewed an album by him some time ago (oh…posted 17/02/2008?…that’s more than 2 years ago already!)

Anyway, and getting back to The Slackers…throughout the years many line-up changes have occurred (I’ve counted a minimum of 12 former members – the current line-up consisting of singer// keyboardist Vic Ruggiero, guitarist Jay Nugent, sax player David Hillyard, trombone player and backing singer Glen Pine, bassist Marcus Geard, and drummer Ara Babajian), and the band made their debut with 2 cassette albums, self-released in the formation year and that after. It wouldn’t be until 1996 before they found a label willing to release their debut album Better Late Than Never, but after that they’ve produced a bundle of releases, on different labels, including, 2 EPs, 6 live albums (3 of which in digital form only, and released last year), 12 studio albums (including this one), and even 3 DVDs and as many compilation albums (the list is too long, so if you’re interested why don’t you go check the band’s page at Wikipedia?)!

In all honesty, to call the Slackers “just” a Ska band, is doin’ them injustice, because they actually draw also from Rocksteady, Reggae, Dub (check this album’s “Cheated”), Soul, Garage Rock (check “Daddy” and “Thank You” for a ‘50s styled version of that), and even Jazz. There’s even an instrumental cover of “Ain’t No Sunshine (When She’s Gone)”, a hit as a song to many an artist (including, ehrrr…off the top of my hat…Al Green, Bill Withers, Marvin Gaye…and even Bob Marley!), and “Don’t Look Back” may well be a cover of Soul giants Temptations…góód versions though!!! At myspace.com/theslackers you’ll only find the one track off the new album…and I haven’t checked the other songs (besides 4 songs off other albums there’s also a previously unreleased track and 3 songs from a live recording) available, but I’m sure they’ll be able to give you a good picture of what this album could sound like. In May the band is again over in Europe, and more specifically they’ll be playing at Brussel’s Ancienne Belgique on the 13th and Antwerp’s Trix the day after (Holland, you’ll have to wait until the end of the month to see the band either in Amsterdam, Sneek, or Sittardd…respectively on the 22nd, 23rd, and 24th – the latter will also be the closing gig of the European tour, so expect the guys to start a tremendous pàààr-tiiieee!!!!!!

90/100

Tony.