4 Dolla Afro: Sublime

The albums are a roller coaster ride of emotion and bass. Some songs are so chilled out that even you're mom would like them (Waiting for my Ruca, KRS-One), some are the faster ska with killer lyrics (Date Rape, Ebin, What Happened), while still most of them are the Sublime reggae grooves that Bob Marley himself would enjoy (Badfish,Let's Go Get Stoned).

The lyrics convey what Sublime was all about. Parties, drugs, and music. Some of you may think a song should be deeper than that, but it was the life they lived, and many of us can completely relate. Bradley Nowell's voice is truly great, possessing the ability to softly sing, belt out powerful tones, or let loose and scream. All the baselines are funky and infectious, and the drum beats complete the groove with great rhythm and perfect fills and cymbal use. Sublime has always been more than just the three main members, with lots of songs featuring turntables, extra percussion, horns, and even guest vocals from the likes of Gwen Stefani.

Sublime deserved all the popularity they received. No one has ever made ska/reggae this catchy and appealing before, and probably never will again. Can you think of another band that had the balls to cover Bad Religion, Decendents, and Grateful Dead on the same album! It is truly a shame that heroin would eventually win the battle over Bradley, but it was bound to happen. Long Beach Dub All-Stars continue to bring the Sublime-style ska to the world, but without Bradley, there is an obvious void. Still his posthumous career carries on and have recenly dropped Evrything under the Sun. As you would expect it is a huge 3 CD + DVD set with tones of unreleased and live tracks, its totally rad.

Sublime