New releases last four weeks: Roots/Lovers Rock

Review: Spanish musician Bass Lee delivers a strong debut instrumental album with Roots across 10 tracks of deep roots rockers led by his signature melodica. The collection was produced alongside Roberto Sanchez at A-Lone Ark Muzik Studio and features standout tracks like the uplifting 'Enlightenment' and the meditative nyahbinghi-inspired 'East African Rift.' The album was developed during a studio session that also birthed albums by Clive Matthews and Lone Ark Riddim Force and completes a trilogy focused on timeless reggae foundations that are rich in analogue warmth and melodic finesse. All of this affirms Bass Lee's place in the new wave of roots reggae musicians pushing the genre forward.

Review: Built on two decades of collaboration between drummer Sam Hobbs and bassist Neil Innes - no relation to the Monty Python and Rutles man of the same name - the pair's new ATA project blends rootsy Jamaican groove with the syncopated strut of New Orleans funk. Though technically a new release, it's more a continuation than a debut: the lineup includes jazz organist Bob Birch and session guitarist Chris Dawkins, drawing from deep wells of soul, rocksteady and r&b. Tracks like 'Grafter' and 'Bust Up' land squarely in the crossover zone between Studio One and The Metersiraw but slick, with a tight pocket and loose-limbed flair. 'An Autumn Sun' leans sweet and sentimental, while 'Strong Fish' pays organ-heavy homage to Jackie Mittoo's Hot Milk-era work. Elsewhere, 'Power Cut' and 'Night Bus' arrive with horn motifs that seem tailored to I Roy-style toasting, and 'Tough Swagger' is a heavy-lidded jam that could've wandered in off a Bunny Lee tape. But it's 'Iron Fist' that best captures the group's method: groove-first, melody-second, built on intuition and the friction of mismatched rhythms. Despite the vintage touchstones, it never feels like pasticheithe record balances reverence with invention, keeping one foot in Kingston and the other in Treme. For a group with so much history, it sounds impressively fresh.

Review: Leeds' Iration Steppas have spent over three decades reshaping dub into a raw, high-voltage force, blending classic roots selections with futuristic, bass-heavy energy. Here, Mark Iration delves into the Greensleeves archives, curating a deep selection of foundation cuts that have fuelled their sets since the early 90s. The first disc centres on heavyweight vocal performances - Michael Prophet's 'Righteous Are The Conqueror' and Johnny Osbourne's 'Mr Marshall' embody roots reggae at its most defiant, while Ranking Dread's 'Shut Me Mouth' and Wailing Souls' 'Busnah' channel the militant energy of early dancehall. The second disc turns up the pressure, diving into dub with Roots Radics' 'Conquering Dub', Augustus Pablo's 'Revolution Dub' and The Revolutionaires' 'Respect The Version'. Following the success of Down In Dub From The Vault, this latest Soundsystem series instalment reframes vintage selections through the seismic weight of Iration Steppas' vision.

Review: ONEGRAM, the cult Japanese reggae band formed in 2011, is back with a new album that takes in everything from their genre-defying journey so far. Though known for blending reggae with lovers rock, they also fold in conscious vibes and disco grooves to their sodden and here the Tokyo-based outfit delivers ten tracks that reflect their unfiltered present. It's their first original album in five years following 2021's cover-focused Random Access Music and highlights include the soulful hit 'After the May Rain,' the groovy 'Crazy For You' (which even got praised by Incognito members) and a dreamy take on Bread & Butter's 1974 classic 'Pink Shadow.'. It's an honest, heartfelt and unmistakably ONEGRAM sound.

Review: The title of this new rarities retrospect-trove of King Tubby and Augustus Pablo's magnetic meeting of minds references the address of the former dubber's legendary studio, where each of these 13 never-heard-before collaborative renditions were mixed. The King Tubbys studio was instrumental in shaping the dub genre, and this release captures the essence of that era, with the closing notable 'Stop Them Jah' hearing vocals by roots icon Jacob Miller, closing out an otherwise near whole-numbered blitz of versions.

Review: Slowly over the years, Pachyman has whetted his dub reggae knife on a premium steel, reverse-engineering then rip-up-restarting the time-honoured techniques of legends King Tubby and Scientist, precisely piercing their sound with the pointed instruments of vintage gear and layer-caked bass. Another Place expands now on his vision, always returning to radical roots that otherwise often go unfairly unmentioned by dub historians - William Onyeabor's synthpop, YMO's new wave kooks, Basic Channel's ambient dub - all of which were contemporaries to the 70s sound. The result is a perfect ten of welling hertz-ology, from the studied 'Calor Ahora' to the simmering enveloper 'A.D.S.H.'

Review: Prince Far I's debut album was originally released in 1976 and produced by Lloydie Slim. It's a powerful and spiritual work in the roots and lovers rock world and features Far I chanting Psalms and prayers over heavyweight rhythms including reworks of Alton Ellis' 'Truly,' Ronnie Davis' 'Power of Love' which was also used on Horace Andy's 'You Are My Angel', and the thunderous 'Jah Jah Jahovia.' Although previously reissued over a decade ago, this new edition comes with original artwork and is pressed from fresh stampers made using the original mother plates. The result is a deep, full sound that faithfully captures the richness of the original Jamaican mastering.

Review: The scale is staggering, but the result is as focused and spiritual as any great dub record should be. Helmed by Swiss producer and keyboardist Mathias Liengme, this set draws together dozens of Jamaican session players from the 70s to todayithink Sly Dunbar, Vin Gordon, Ernest Ranglinion nine instrumental dubs cut and sculpted by Roberto Sanchez. '1000 Light Years DUB' opens with spacey textures and a tightly coiled rhythm section, easing into the skanking horns of 'In The Shadow DUB'. 'Whitewater DUB' flows warm and steady, while 'Memories of Old DUB' evokes roots nostalgia without drifting into pastiche. 'Rose Hall's Birds DUB' stands out for its bright brass interplay; 'Squirrel Inna Barrel DUB' rides a darker groove, led by echo-laden percussion. 'Under The Cotton Tree DUB' softens the tempo with flute and keys, followed by the spacious bass work of '45 Charles Street DUB'. The closer, 'Everlasting Love DUB', arranged around Errol Kong's melody, feels like both a send-off and an embraceiglowing, open, eternal.

Review: Sugar Minott's 1977 debut Live Loving is reissued here, a timeless piece from a pivotal figure in the shift from roots reggae to dancehall. Minott was one of the first artists to carve out a solo path on the legendary Studio One label, finding his groove as a solo artist after coming up singing harmony in the group African Brothers. This reissue shines a light on a record that's warm, honest, and full of feeling. Tracks like 'Vanity' and 'Jahovia' balance conscious themes with a loose, soulful delivery, while 'Give a Hand' and the title track show off Minott's flair for melody - always more heartfelt than flashy. Still sounds easy, sincere and full of life.

Review: Marking 20 years of fresh dub experimentation, Jahtarian Dubbers's latest volume revives the Jahtari compilation series after a decade-long pause. This latest entry features a fresh wave of outsider dub, circuit-bent dancehall and cosmic low-end adventures with heavyweight jams coming thick and fast. Highlights include KingLMan's gritty opener 'The Loop Jerk,' Kiki Hitomi's sultry 'Red Mustang' and Kris Kemist's retro gem 'Casio HipHop.' El Fata brings vibes on 'Boom Sound' while Jura Soundsystem channels Sly & Robbie. Side B flows from Pupajim's extended 'Tidal Wave' to Legowelt and Mystica Tribe's tape-warped 'Cabal of Puppeteers' before finishing with Tiiu Helina's haunting 'Muuri' dub. This is a rich, twisted celebration of dub's outer limits.