Artist The Dirty Heads

Forming an alliance of dudes and bros, SoCal reggae-rock-rap hybrid The Dirty Heads mushes together a watered-down musical formula similar to forebears 311 and Sublime down to the old-school flow followed by soulful choruses in its vocal dynamic. Anyone longing for the late Bradley Nowell circa 40 Oz. To Freedom will find a whole lot to like about Dirty Heads’ 2008 album, Any Port In A Storm, and getting-funky-on-the-beach songs like “Stand Tall” and “Lay Me Down,” the latter of which features new Sublime frontman Rome Ramirez. But to those who lost interest in musicians qualified to represent the LBC a long time ago, Dirty Heads’ tossed-off celebrations of life in sunny California will make listening a real chore.

Updated 02/28/2011