A polished album from reggae veterans Cecil "Skelly" Spence and Lacelle "Wiss" Bulgin - the heart and soul of Israel Vibration - Jericho assembles a cast of expert musical contributors, including Sly Dunbar, Junior Marvin and Chinna Smith. Smooth and professional, Jericho embodies the conscious roots ethic. From the opener, "Lost Souls," Skelly and Wiss sing of the daily complaints of the 'downpressed,' especially criminal violence ("Gang Bang Slam" and "Violence in the Streets"). The best song might be "Evening Shadow," a haunting near-dirge in which Wiss wonders whether the Bible-beater, the criminal, or the con man has the answers to the problems of the ghetto. Things lighten up a bit near the end of the set, where "Jammin'" and "Thank God It's Friday" bubble and pop with a simple message: "All I know girl, all I know yeah/ I want to party here with you / Thank God it's Friday, TGIF." - Craig Tower
A polished album from reggae veterans Cecil "Skelly" Spence and Lacelle "Wiss" Bulgin - the heart and soul of Israel Vibration - Jericho assembles a cast of expert musical contributors, including Sly Dunbar, Junior Marvin and Chinna Smith. Smooth and professional, Jericho embodies the conscious roots ethic. From the opener, "Lost Souls," Skelly and Wiss sing of the daily complaints of the 'downpressed,' especially criminal violence ("Gang Bang Slam" and "Violence in the Streets"). The best song might be "Evening Shadow," a haunting near-dirge in which Wiss wonders whether the Bible-beater, the criminal, or the con man has the answers to the problems of the ghetto. Things lighten up a bit near the end of the set, where "Jammin'" and "Thank God It's Friday" bubble and pop with a simple message: "All I know girl, all I know yeah/ I want to party here with you / Thank God it's Friday, TGIF." - Craig Tower