Pepper – No Shame

Ah Pepper, a nice little splash of Hawaiian flavor compacted into musical form and transported across the globe thanks to the marvelous invention of a CD. The Volcom Ent. three piece is back with No Shamewhich picks up right where Kona Town left off: a nice, relaxing, reggae output.

No Shame is far from being the highlight of the year, but it good enough to distract you from your every day live every once in a while. The album is scattered with laid back reggae styles that transports you across the continent to the relaxing Hawaiian state (which is nice considering the amount of snow I’m staring at right now). Like it’s predecessor, No Shame is full of smooth, liquid bass lines, a solid upstroke (particularly on tracks like Crazy Love) and a steady beat that captivates the listener and gets them swaying along with the melody. The album flows nicely thanks to the help of a mixture of producers including Nick Hexum (311), Tony Kanal (No Doubt), and Paul Leary (Sublime/Butthole Surfers). Just from that you could guess that most reggae fans will find solace in the island beats, and they will. Like Your Style‘s chorus sounds oddly similar to The Specials while other times they could be put up against Sublime without a problem.

While the lyrics aren’t quite as shockingly immature as they were on Kona Town, it’s evident that the band has yet to lose their sense of humor with the occasional skit layered throughout the album. I mean, who would think of putting up a introduction bridging the gap between the previous album and current one as the final track on the CD? An odd move, but a move that works nonetheless.

Really, Pepper‘s No Shame is a solid release. Far from phenomenal, but good enough for a few listens. So light a joint, sit back, press play, and enjoy.