10 Ft. Ganja Plant

Roots/dub reggae done right is the raison d'etre for NYC-based group 10 Ft. Ganja Plant and Skycatcher is the latest body of evidence for such. The band's sound and line-up uncover their John Brown's Body roots and their reverence for a vintage '70s reggae era chord progression, wrapped in modern musical sensibilities and styles, resulting in pleasing musicality. Instrumental "Sounding Zone" is dub-righteous; "In The Garden" keeps it mellow; while the title track is a standout. Songs like "Collect the Trophy" and "Hypocrites in Town" are too lyrically simple and on-the-nose for their collective own good, but are earnestly so. With 12 albums under their belts, the band know what they are doing at this point. It's tricky to rate a project meant for live consumption, but Skycatcher is a stylistically sound, groove-heavy effort that hits the mark roots dub-wise. There's nothing groundbreaking, but Skycatcher's production values are on point, the grooves lively and the subject matter decidedly non-complex.