Together Not Apart

Cornwall may be famous for its coast, sunshine and laidback lifestyle – if you are a surfer with sufficient funds, that is – but it's hard to think of it as a part of England comparable with Jamaica. Backbeat Soundsystem are both a reggae band and proudly Cornish – they recorded this album there – though these 12 tracks of ‘conscious’ (ie sociopolitically aware) reggae are delivered in English without any hint of a sea shanty. Instead, the eight-piece band create a warm, melodic groove that allows for vocalists Dean Forrest and Darren Kendall to sing of love and society over the top. The band play with a drive and clarity that suggests they are impressive in concert. If there is a problem it 's that Backbeat Soundsystem faithfully reproduce reggae without adding anything particularly individual to distinguish them from the Bob Marleys and UB40s of this world. Together Not Apart is solid but lacks surprises.