Zap Pow - Zap Pow Again (VPal)

Founder Mike 'Mikey Zap Pow' Williams passed away in 2005 and Beres Hammond declined the offer, but both can still be heard in a number of the band's  older songs of that were included in the track list of this album ('Let's Fall In Love', 'Some Sweet Day' and 'This Is Reggae Music'). Did sign up for this reunion: guitarist/vocalist and founding member Dwight Pinkney, saxophonist Glen DaCosta, bass player Lebert 'Gibby' Morrison and keyboardist Richard 'T Bird' Johnson. In the track list 8 new songs and 7 classics from the repertoire of Zap Pow and Roots Radics. 'How Could I Live' might be better known as 'How Can I Leave', Dennis Brown's version of the song, but it was in fact Dwight Pinkney who recorded the original with The Sharks as early as 1967 and for 'Zap Pow Again' rerecorded the tune accompanied Beres Hammond and Pam Hall. And 'One Away Man' and 'World Peace' (originally 'World Peace III') are also both Pinkney classics from his time with the Roots Radics. Besides the aforementioned 'Let's Fall In Love', 'This Is Reggae Music' and 'Some Sweet Day', 'Sweet Loving Love' is also a classic from the repertoire of Zap Pow. For the 8 new tracks on 'Zap Pow Again' the band called on Geoffrey 'Star' Forrest, a vocalist we weren't really familiar with as yet, and sound engineer Christopher Daley. 'King Of Reggae' is an ode to the king of the reggae Bob Marley, written by saxophonist Glen DaCosta, but our personal favorites from the tracklist were the excellent roots tunes 'Brother's Keeper', 'Run Up Dem Mouth' and especially 'Price Of War', and the wonderful love tune 'Compatible'. Excellent album that bridges the gap between old and new, loyal fans and a new audience!