SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: NEVILLE STAPLE – FROM THE SPECIALS AND BEYOND

NEVILLE STAPLE
FROM THE SPECIALS AND BEYOND
CLEOPATRA RECORDS

Former member of Two-Tone legends The Specials, singer Neville keeps alive the sound, approach, and energy of the late 70s – early 80s style, maintaining the love and respect the original practitioners had for the older forms of Jamaican music that were the style’s major influence.

There is ska aplenty here, from the sing-along of the opening, political “Right From Wrong” and the good timing encouragement of “Celebrate With You” (with Neville’s wife Sugary Staple helping out throughout) to the Two-Tone of “Don’t Let Life Pass You By”, the punky “Something’s Wrong”, and “Way Of Life” which also features The Selecter’s guitarist Neol Davies, and the self-explanatory ‘World Turned Upside Down’.

Vintage soul with a ska touch comes courtesy of a remake of Ben E. King’s “Stand By Me”, and Neville even enlists the Jamaican foundation singer Derrick Morgan for “Housewives Choice”. Derrick duetted with Patsy Todd on the original in 1961; Sugary successfully takes the female role this time around. “Miss Dis N Dat” has vintage DJ Clint Eastwood on a fine piece of old-time reggae with dub leanings and re-workings of Two Tone classic “Ghost Town” and Toots & The Maytals’ “Monkey Man” (which The Specials also recorded early on) complete this rather fine release.

Turn it up, sing along and skank on (and on)!

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