Forget the current strain of ska pretenders - most of them ain't got the roots. The Pietasters on the other hand, have 'em in spades. With Tim Rancid's...

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Forget the current strain of ska pretenders - most of them ain't got the roots. The Pietasters on the other hand, have 'em in spades.

With Tim Rancid's seal of approval and a production whack courtesy of Epitaph head honcho Brett Gurewitz, "Willis" might just be the best ska album of the year. Led by the gravel-voiced Stephen Jackson, they're one smooth bunch of muthaf**kahs. When he growls about being part of a "New Breed," it's an alcohol-powered explosion - The 4-Tops high on some Clash records and raw R&B juices.

There ain't a bad song on "Willis." "Out All Night" is a classic, the sort of Madness song y'ain't heard in ages; "Higher" is a cool Jamaican groove; then it's pure '60s soul on a cover of The Outsiders' "Time Won't Let Me." All fo which adds up to two sides of black 'n' white-chequered brilliance from a gaggle of thugs in suits with soul 'n' roots.

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