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CD REVIEW Hometown Supersound Available from Trading Post, Kanes Records and www.hometownsupersound.com Price £10.

Ska Daddy is the Stroud party band du jour; the much loved and cheerfully shambolic sound of some of the best Stroud parties in the last few years. Now comes a new string to their bow (or should that be slide to their trombone?) in the shape of Hometown Supersound, a collaboration between Ska Daddy's trombonist Dave Andrews and producer Pete Johnson.

The name may sound like a bit of a boast, in the fine tradition of the cries of "Who's the daddy?" that accompany Ska Daddy gigs, but two tracks in and the boast is justified; this is a superb album, chock full of meaty brass, giddy electronica and more ideas than one could safely shake a stick at.

From the crunchy, invigorating reggae of The Matt Jones Ending to the laidback, bleepy euphoria of Dub Club by way of a glorious fiddle solo and the haunting trumpet on Hometown Hi-Fi, this is the sort of record that beats Dreadzone at their own game simply by being, at heart, a proper brass-propelled reggae album dressed in a fine raiment of electronic goodness. The tunes are exquisite and the production is so tight that if you turn the volume up enough it sounds like the band has invaded your front room and is playing a gig just for you.

Listening to this in the spring sunlight, it felt like I was at a festival; I could see this band going down a storm at Glastonbury or Womad. The only thing I can say against the album is that it needs a few more vocals. Not too many - just enough to draw the listener even further in to the richly textured sound.

Hometown Supersound? Ten steps beyond!

9/10

4:31pm Wednesday 23rd April 2008

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