Although the Adjusters have been categorized as
just another '90s ska band, that is way off base. In
fact, the Adjusters are much, much more. The band
can ride the waves of surf, ska, jazz, reggae, pop,
soul and even south of the border sounds like salsa,
a point they prove vehemently on their new
release, "Before the Revolution" (Moon Ska). This is
a great record, maybe all the more so because I
really thought I was throwing on another
cookie-cutter ska record, instead of a flawless
reinterpretation of so many styles. Kicking off with
"Special Prosecutor," a surfer with no vocals but a
truckload of style, the disc gives way to three ska
anthems until "The Fight Back (Part One)," the
single most kickass funk/soul tune I've heard in four
years as a music critic. Vocalist Daraka Kenric hits
a monumentally aggressive soul groove that made
me listen to the tune about twenty times
back-to-back before I even listened to the rest of
the record once. Kenric's vocals are strong
throughout the rest of the record as well, something
that shouldn't surprise anyone who has seen this
nine-member ensemble play. His version of Wilson
Pickett's "Toehold" made me wonder why he, and
the rest of the band aren't already being courted by
the A&R slicksters who pride themselves on finding
new bands. 

(Dave Chamberlain)