AMPLIFY will come out on Easy Star Records September 30, 2008, in North America and Japan (followed by an early 2009 release in all other territories).
AMPLIFY continues an evolution in the band’s sound that started with Spirits All Around Us and continued through the 2005 Easy Star release, Pressure Points. It is an explosive album, featuring twelve tracks of drum & bass-heavy, dub-inflected electro grooves that make up the sound JBB is known for, with a forward-thinking, fearless approach to tempos, feel, and beats that expands the genre of roots reggae as a whole. Songs that have become recent live showstoppers like “Give Yourself Over,†“Zion Triad,†and “Push Some Air†are included, as well as many new songs guaranteed to move both long time fans and new converts, such as “Speak Of The Devil,†which features a vocal collaboration with Midnite’s Vaughn Benjamin.
JBB’s last album, Pressure Points, represented one more step moving the band from its roots reggae beginnings towards a more envelope-pushing, futuristic sound. Since then, JBB has gone through significant changes—including the death of bassist Scott Palmer (which is addressed in the song “Ghost Notes,†a touching track that evokes his spirit over music Bon Iver and Steel Pulse might have written had they produced a song together), as well as throat surgery for lead singer Elliot Martin and the departure of several band members. Emerging out of these changes, the band’s new line-up is an astonishingly focused and more experimental outfit ready to rock their fans like never before.
AMPLIFY will be available for pre-order through Easy Star’s web store in mid-July. Look for more info on the pre-order and other JBB news soon. JBB has already scheduled a number of shows in July and August, with a full US tour planned from late September through the end of the year. Dates will be announced in the coming weeks.
www.easystar.com