Easy Star

With their latest dub installment, reggae collective Easy Star All-Stars transform the King of Pop’s 1982 sensation into catchy, downtempo reggae. But these reinterpretations are not simply pop hooks transplanted onto dub tracks – every song sounds like a natural fit. The composition of “Thriller” is alone worth the listen: the synthesizer revitalizes an ‘80s vibe without succumbing to corniness, while the faithful-to-the-original concluding monologue about the walking dead reminds one of dub-legend Scientist’s rants about mummies, zombies and vampires. And in case you think that “Beat It” isn’t dubby enough, the extra track “Dub It” overflows with reverberating horn bursts and layer upon layer of rippling percussion. Thrillah is an imaginative tribute, and
hands down, ESAS’ best album since 2003’s stellar Dub Side of the Moon_.