Rock and reggae have always been odd bedfellows, and bands that fuse the two disparate genres often struggle for fans with deep roots on either side. But then along comes Roots of Creation – a quartet from, of all places, Boston – that deftly if not delicately blurs Bob Marley, P.O.D., Rage Against the Machine and Phish influences. Heck Phish's Gordon Stone even shows up and plays pedal-steel guitar on one track. Granted, Rise Up, the band's second album, boasts its fair share of electronica, hip-hop and funk that could grate on the nerves of some listeners. But Roots of Creation, in bursts of what can only be described as musical schizophrenia, also shows off well-crafted and complex songs like the brilliant instrumentals "New Creation" and "Proggae" (rejoice, prog heads!), as well as parts of "Peace, Love and Music," "Made For Me" and "That's How Strong My Love Is" that reveal the band's musical dexterity by embracing rock, prog and jamband sensibilities. Listening to Roots of Creation really is like hearing three different albums by three different artists with the player set on "shuffle." The band's lyrical link, however, keeps this music connected. Whether lamenting the war in Iraq (or anywhere, really) on "Universal Soldier" or condoning the use of marijuana on "Legalize and Tax It," members of Roots of Creation aren't afraid to take a stand and voice their opinions. The band's lyrics are just as challenging as its music, and almost as compelling.
Track Listing:
1) Rise Up!
2) Dubomb
3) Death March
4) Babylon
5) That's How Strong My Love is
6) Proggae
7) Peace, Love and Music
8) Universal Soldier
9) Leaglize and Tax It
10) Breathe It
11) Can't Stop
12) New Classic
13) Made for Me
14) Void
15) Sorry I Had To Go
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