Localized Spellbinder

Reggae music can easily suffer from the pitfalls of its own traditions—its laidback nature, delay-heavy guitars, and a generalized lyrical focus on the struggle of the everyday man and his spirituality can make it tough for a performer to expand outside of the genre’s self-imposed frame. The important part comes from what an artist chooses to do with these basic ingredients, and from the dub bass and a rock-steady beat, to the horn section and soulful female backup vocals, to exhausting references to Babylon, Rasta culture, Zion, and Jah, Spellbinder's self-titled EP incorporates all of the Reggae standards. We are beaten over the head with them from opening track “Do You Truly Believe”—in “Jah-Jah,” as Spellbinder says—to final track, “I Love Jah.” It's pretty clear he really digs Jah, and with a slew of tired melodies and musical sameness, a lack of variety makes this EP feel like its all been done before.

Spellbinder does offer some variations on basics—“Wicked” begins with a dark funk intro, leading to an ominous stair-climbing bass and tiptoeing percussion. “Material Man” features dusty, spaghetti-western guitars, and “Control Your Destiny” has a punchy, 5/4-time intro. But even these cool little bits don't pull the songs out of a dangerous, redundant territory. There's little in the way of dynamics on the disc; all songs follow the verse/chorus/verse formula, and never benefit from a challenging swell or climax. The only time this trend is broken is on “New Loving Feeling,” which finishes, it seems, before Spellbinder’s own vocals are through. Yes, the EP has all of the right ingredients, but the most important thing is lacking: a sense of adventure. Grade: C+