To listen to audio on Rock Paper Scissors you'll need to Get the Flash Player

Sample Track 1:
"Want Not (featuring Tamar-kali)" from Ticklah Vs. Axelrod
Sample Track 2:
"Mi Sonsito (featuring Mayra Vega)" from Ticklah vs. Axelrod
Layer 2
CD Review

Click Here to go back.
okayplayer.com, CD Review >>

The battle between alter egos wages on with Victor Axelrod taking on his dub-loving persona, Ticklah. At any given moment, the multi-talented Antibalas member and Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings alum plays percussion, piano, bass and a number of other instruments to create his hodgepodge of roots reggae and laidback dub flavor. As founder of the Easy Star All-Stars, Ticklah is best known for his ability to turn the traditional inside out and on Ticklah vs. Axelrod, he finds inspiration in classical music as well as fellow genre-hopper Eddie Palmieri and attacks each arena with equal originality.

It’s almost a tease to have just one song featuring the baddest voice of the underground, Tamar-kali, but her fans will have to settle. The seductive track “Want Not” is a smooth, but expectedly dark facet of her tremendous talent. Rob Symeonn provides the vocals on the humorous “Pork Eater,” quietly condemning meat eaters especially those claiming to be Rasta with pig on their plate. If the playful hook, “Pork eater/Piggy-wiggy” is not on repeat in your head, have your iPod checked stat. The instrumentals satisfy just as much as the vocalists and give Ticklah even more room to cut loose melodica-style on “Answer Me.”

The album is consistent with its intent, full of reggae and dub-influenced songs, just snappy enough to sway to and fro, but none hard enough for a full on jig. If easy listening is the call of the day, then Ticklah vs. Axelrod serves it up aplenty.

By Candace L.

 09/10/07 >> go there
Click Here to go back.