Chris Murray
Forget all those special sound effects that so many bands favour nowadays, Chris Murray reverts back to the good old four-track for his recordings, and in doing so captures more emotion and atmosphere than computerised recording ever could.
Before going solo, Chris Murray was frontman with the influential Canadian Ska outfit King Apparatus, but signed to Moon Ska in 1996 to release solo material. "One Everything" is a collection of Chris Murray’s finest material from his three American released albums, “The 4 Track Adventures of Venice Shoreline Chris”, “4-Trackganza” and the more recent “Raw”, it also features tracks from his self-released “Six Song” EP, some brand new tracks and a rare cover of The Toaster's song “Thrill Me Up” from a long deleted Moon Ska USA compilation.
Every song on this compilation manages to capture real soul and emotion, and most importantly, honest lyrics with a great melody. Toe-tapping songs like “We Do The Ska” and “California Time” may not be twiddled and altered to get a perfect sound quality, but to be honest, with songs as great as these, that doesn’t seem to matter. With all the contemporary versions of Ska that keep popping up, it’s nice to hear some ‘proper’ Ska, Rock Steady and Reggae music that stays true to its roots and focused upon creating great songs.
Although some people may choose to boycott "One Everything" because of the sound quality or simplicity, this impressive collection of laid-back, chilled out and engaging songs will be enjoyed by anyone who gives the collection a listen. And if you choose not to, it really is your loss.