UB40 - Who You Fighting For [Virgin]

That all eight members of UB40 are still together, let alone sounding revitalised after more than twenty-five years of constant touring and recording is some feat. This latest album was recorded "live" for the most part, and is closer in spirit, style and substance to their debut album, Signing Off, than anything they've done since, which is another minor miracle. The band sound great in fact, and so too lead singer Ali Campbell, whose vocals convey more feeling than they've done in a long while. It's the political songs that grab the attention, and also remind us of where the group's coming from, since UB40 were renowned for championing working class values in their formative years. Who You Fighting For was inspired by Army recruitment commercials. It rides a deep reggae beat, decorated by rasping sax, and leaves us in no doubt of where they stand on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. "Propaganda, spin and lie. Who you fighting for?" they ask. "You do the shooting, they do the looting; you do the dying, they do the lying..." Plenty More is again uncompromising, and warns against endorsing American bloodletting with the lines, "Five megatons of oblivion, sent with love from the Pentagon," whilst War Poem mourns for the innocent seeking "refuge from the terror," and also the "raging anger raining down on their world." Elsewhere the mood is lighter, but often no less elevant. Bling Bling, chatted by Astro, warns against worshipping the dollar too much, whilst Reasons feature a banghra singer. Good Situation, One Woman Man and Gotta Tell Someone are all typically laid back, rub-a-dub tracks, whilst the Jamaicans' The Things You Say You Love and Matumbi's After Tonight are tailor-made for UB40, and could easily shine amidst the best moments from the band's Labour of Love albums.

****

John Masouri, Echoes Magazine, June 2005