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Dr. Israel, "Inna City Pressure" (reissue)
Inna City Pressure was a true revelation on its initial releasein 1998. Long before the term "mashup" entered the lexicon andunforeseen marriages between, say, Jay-Z and the Beatles were commoncurrency, Dr. Israel welded together reggae, dub, metal, punk, jungleand drum 'n' bass with ease and verve, simultaneously revealing theunderpinnings the genres had in common while seamlessly creating afresh and vital sound all his own. Seven years on sees Dr. Israel witha new label, hordes of imitators, thousands of these new "mashups," anda large potential audience that may not be in the know. So the braintrust at ROIR has deemed it time for an Inna City Pressure reissue.ROIR
The "new" record (out on the street just in time to drum up noise forROIR's fall release lineup) boasts more than cosmetic updates: alongwith the new packaging and liner notes, a number of the original tracksare "reinterpreted," along with some new “bonus” tracks tacked onto theend. Israel's skill and vision are still apparent; the collaborationwith Rancid on “Coppers” rarely fails to boggle first time listener'sminds, and the album's gem, Israel's take on the Clash's “ArmagideonTime,” is still the real deal and does more to affirm the punk group'sreggae influences than anything Jones or Strummer did or said. Israel’ssongwriting runs the predictable gamut of the urban ghettolifestyle—drugs, crime, violence and injustice. A taste of Rastaspirituality anda true punk ethos, most apparent on the obvious tracks but not lostelsewhere and never sounding absurd, keeps the tired subject matterfrom being hackneyed or embarrassingly cliché. Israel’s lyricaladaptability—keeping time in a dancehall cadence, rapping or singinghis soul out—also helps to keep the sound fresh.
The timing of thereissue raises eyebrows, but some could hardly fault ROIR can hardlyfor it, a fringe label even on the indie scene, they are the newowners of some damn fine master tapes and currently wield the ability(read: marketing and production budget) to make noise for their newreleases while reminding the listening public of a modern-day classicrecord. Purists will question the absence of more new material. Theinclusion of a second disc of entirely new material (perhaps Inna City Dubbedor), would have justified the reissue without question. For now, thefinal verdict rests with Dr. Israel's new material. If it provesworthwhile, then Inna City Pressure's repackaging was a timelyand justifiable exercise. If not, it'll be little more than musicalmasturbation, a pointless stunt and a regrettable stain on Inna City Pressure's legacy.
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