Gold Lion

While the recent trend of recreating classic albums in a dub style kicked off with Easy Star All-Stars’ Dub Side of the Moon, interpreting The Beatles with Jamaican sensibilities is nothing new. Ernest Ranglin, Joe White, Ken Boothe and Dawn Penn are among the dozens to have paid tribute to the Fab Four. Latest in line is Rockville, Md. octet Yellow Dubmarine with its Abbey Road tribute. Like the Easy Star All-Stars, the band attacks the record head on, producing a less-polished and more beautiful take on the original. The dub is casual and powerful, without gloss and sheen, to Dubmarine’s credit. Brass
drives the entire record. The one hitch remains the lackluster vocals, which simply do not hold up against the exceptional instrumental sections. That makes little difference on “Something” and “Octopus’s Garden,” but it makes you want to pass right over “Maxwell’s Silver Hammer.” My top pick is the slinky “Because,” a patient gem in a predominantly worthwhile field of jewels.