Whilst
looking at a tasty young woman’s food blog the other day, it dawned on me that
bands are a lot like great dishes. Both require certain ingredients and methodologies
to turn them from something second-rate to something sublime. Change a little
something here and there and you end up with results that could be wonderfully
stunning or horrifically nightmarish. Fortunately for everyone, Yours Truly,
the new disc from Sublime with Rome, dwells squarely in the realm of artistic
brilliance.
Sure, with
a new singer in tow any band’s sound would be altered, but that isn’t 100pc the
case here. New vocalist-guitarist Rome Ramirez has been blessed with one of the
silkiest and simultaneously scratchy voices on vinyl but its surprisingly close
enough to that of the deceased Brad Nowell (the band’s original guitarist and singer)
to fool fans into thinking that these songs were recorded before the latter’s
death. After a thorough listen, I was possessed with the notion that the band
should’ve changed its name to Rome with Sublime, since he seems to have taken
over the duties of principal songwriter. As such, the themes of failed
relationships and relationship maintenance are easily evident, so much so that
listeners might, on some tracks, forget that they’re actually listening to a Sublime
album.
Yours Truly
sounds like sunshine in a usually rainy city - upbeat, charming and inviting,
it smells like happiness swirling out of a Rasta’s living room. While the odd
lyric is peppered with Marleyesque practical wisdom the lion’s share of this
disc manages be radio-friendly yet genuine. In parts, you might not even
realize that you’re bobbing your head to it, while receiving a subliminal
message to make yourself a mojito. Fans
who were drawn to the original line-up’s primarily reggae sound will be
pleased, whilst the punk-rock-loving contingent would notice its cameo presence
here.
Opening track Panic is a
throwback to earlier work, with a frantic opening that eases into a slightly
more relaxed second movement. There’s a bit of a contest deciding what deserves
more praise, Rome’s astonishing guitar technique or the alluring work of the
wind instruments. Going by its lyrics, Only’s mission might be to
empower listeners to go with their gut feeling instead of just accepting something
at face value. Lovers Rock , meanwhile, is an homage to the eponymous
sub-genre of reggae music. Cool vibes emanate from this track despite the
lyrics that deal with a relationship gone awry. There’s inventive use of the
saxophone in the backing track of Murdera but the rest of the song is
pure filler. My World is another throwback to the skariffic pace and
urgency of Sublime’s earlier years. In terms of lyrics, it isn’t an in-depth
report on a day in the life of Ramirez, rather a man talking about his beliefs.
The album’s
shortest track, at just 1.53 in length, is Paper Cuts, which showcases more
accelerated punk rock inspired riffage. Yes, it’s a short tune, but then again
the brightest flames burn quickest don’t they? Listeners will notice that PCH
features acoustic strumming popularised by the likes of Jack Johnson. With
sunshine coming out of Rome’s guitar its damn near impossible to accept that
the lyrics deal with taking stock and looking at a bad relationship through a
rear-view mirror. Conversely, the lyrics to album high-point Same Old
Situation consider giving the union another go. Tracks such as first single
Take It Or Leave It and You Better Listen continue the discussion
on relationship matters while album closer Spun sounds a bit like the
Kook’s track Naive.
Whilst the
above songs warrant getting a copy of the album, the real gems are the bonus
tracks. Can You Feel It is an awesome combo between rap and reggae that
should’ve made the actual album tracklist. Guest rapper Wiz Khalifa shines on
this jam that dwells on the joys of engaging in herbal remedies. Familiar fans
would probably want the album to feature more tracks with this kind of subject
matter. In fact, they would probably wonder whether Nowell would’ve still been
alive today had he heard these lyrics before experimenting with other substance.
Dynamite is a timeless reggae masterpiece complete with a commitment to
rebellion. Big time! The aptly-titled Safe and Sound is spiced up with
some tasty dubstep inserts, making it fit easily on playlists that cater to
fans of different musical genres. The acoustic version of Lovers Rock rounds
up the bonus material and is just a stripped down recording of the track that appears
earlier on the disc.
Even though
the lyrics are a little too soft and personal for yours truly, (pun intended)
this album’s strongest suit would have to be its overpowering yet subliminal
positive vibe. It’s not the band’s eponymous album, but hands down it’s one of
the best albums of the year gone by. Not only for listening to at 4.20, the
album is pure magic. Get yourself a copy and then pass it to the left.
Sublime with Rome’s Yours Truly…doing Brad Nowell proud
