Mr Tubaob'u - Erase the Borders

Who is Mr Tubaob'u? Mystic? Traveller? Prophet? A side project of the hardest working gypsy reggae band in the world, Terminal Blue? Maybe we'll never know, but his disciples here on Earth, an unassuming looking bunch, spread his message with a voodoo reggae bounce that is unstoppably infectious and endlessly joyous. Fans of Manu Chau will lap it up, and Erase the borders is every bit as capable of beaming smiles when and where the sun don't shine. It also avoids the trap that a lot of reggae albums fall prey to, in that every song sounds different. Triumphant trumpets clash with double-time multi-lingual vocals and easy skanking guitar. 556 string bass pumps the subs with Scooby Doo-esque mystery ska and political polemic polka, all simmering away in Tubaob'u's magical cauldron. Skank, stomp, groove. Repeat. Let the voodoo vibes fly. [Ali Maloney]