By Factory James
Sublime with Rome is an interesting equation. Sublime minus one Bradley Nowell plus one Rome Ramirez, equals a similar Sublime sound minus the danger. The group formerly ran under the moniker Sublime until the death of Nowell in 1996. Nowell’s estate put the kibosh on the use of the name Sublime. With Ramirez, whom the remaining members met in 2009, the group became Sublime With Rome with Yours Truly as their “first” album.
Typically when a pivotal member of a music group dies, the group rarely moves forward. Rock & Roll heavy hitters like Nirvana and Led Zeppelin are evidence of that. For the last 15 years the remaining members of Sublime have been attempting to step beyond that precedent. With new member, Ramirez, is the group as sublime?
Yours Truly is heavy on the reggae elements but short on the edge factor, with a sound that feels familiar but isn’t. Rome Ramirez, (a surprising 21 years old,) contributes vocals obviously influenced by Nowell’s, but with less aggression and grit. He lacks the rough edges of a life lived in a state of tumultuous addiction. His lyrics lack the awesomely vulgar, ‘90’s Long Beach narrative that gave the original band its allure.
Their first single “Panic” goes off like ska bomb and makes for an appropriate reminder of why the world should give a damn about these guys. Horns, skanky riffs, and a rhythm section to write home about are roll-overs from their roots but also happen to give the album added depth. Tracks like “Lovers Rock,” “PCH,” and “Take It or Leave It” overflow with smooth optimism and groove like a SoCal summer but cause the album to lose focus and wander a bit.
The group manages to find their way back, however, on a closing track just begging for an elevated festival audience, “Can You Feel It,” which features purveyor of snap back hats, Wiz Khalifa. This infections little treat happens to be one of the best on the album and helps give the album added playability and staying power.
The most important thing to remember out Sublime with Rome is that they are not Sublime. Period. Sublime with Rome’s, Yours Truly, is a solid first recording effort for a group more interested in creating themselves than resurrecting ghosts. That they didn’t try and play to the past says much about their respect for their history and their motivation to blaze new trails.
out of 5
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