10 Ft. Ganja Plant bring the authenticity. The Meditations guest on "To Each", bringing with them a dubwise history and perspective, and the 10 Ft. boys themselves are also well versed in reggae's roots. Their competency and respect for the material is refreshing.
Bass Chalice floats by, never making a huge impression but always remaining close to the ear. The music will grow on you. "Engine Trouble"'s muscular basslines will infiltrate your head, "Swedish Prison"'s adventurous horn work revels in restraint rather than over-the-top experimentation, the celebratory, uptempo "Deliver Us Jah" feels more religious than party-rific, and "Last Dance"'s seductive downtempo grooves smolder long and deep.
The talent here is unmistakable, but despite the band-members' skill, knowledge and respect for the genre's masters, Bass Chalice sounds over-rehearsed and a little too clean. These songs aren't seat-of-pants Studio One recordings -- and frankly, it's not fair to expect that of a modern dub act -- but more importantly, they never get the emotional balance quite right. The material is well-written, well-recorded and well-produced, but a little short on soul.
