If you’re new to Eva Be, this is yet another exceptional release on the recent reggae overload of Fat Freddy’s Drop, Best Seven’s new found reggae band from New Zealand, The Black Seeds (who have their own album out soon themselves) and Prince Fatty’s Survival Of The Fattest.

So as an update, the album is co-produced by Boris Meinhold, who you may remember co-wrote and played guitar on ‘Eve At Bob’s’ from the ‘Eve’s Time Tonite’ 12”. That was a particular favourite as there were some “dubby dub dooos” that BiggaBush would have done during his European forays. That 12” also featured a reggae version ‘No Memory Of Time’ with Fat Freddy’s Drop’s Joe Dukie (as featured on the Best Seven’s Selections Vol. 2 compilation).

Dukie’s vocals are as superb as ever and this new ‘album version’ mix brings a new downtempo angle to the track. Talking of European forays, the other track on that 12”, ‘Unite Tonite’ is included here and its as good as ever as it features our friend from Makossa & Megablast and Vienna’s Dub Club, Sugar B.

Boris is best known as a member of Micatone and one of the excellent dubs is the Eva Be’s mix of Micatone’s ‘Trouble Boy’. ‘Trippin’ Dub’ takes the trombrone on a dub plane but why so short? The album actually takes off with funky reggae of the vocal version, ‘Trippin’ On Eva Be’ that features David Ben-Porat, who has also worked with Micatone.

Other collaborations here are a couple of tracks sung by the actress Pegah Feydoni (the dubby ‘Into My Blues’ is the one compared to the folky ‘She Walks Alone’) and RQM (who I think has some connection with Jahcoozi) does some freestyle on ‘Speakeasy’; “Ask Billie Holiday what she had in common with Sade”. Rap meets dub on the guitar twang of Ennio Morricone is just my type of cross boarder experimentation.

Now any reggae fan will know that Boris’ Spaghetti Western guitar style happily fits right in with the roots of dub at the Black Ark. The skits here are mere diversions and true, the sound is not as authentic as Prince Fatty, or even Fat Freddy’s Drop, but if you are into the leftfield of Dub Club electronica, this bad girl is for you (and me).

Cover art painting: Otto Reich

Hectic Mix nominations; ‘No Memory Of Time’, ‘Speakeasy’, ‘Trippin’ Dub’, ‘Unite Tonite’, ‘Eve At Bob’s’, ‘Zerrdub’, ‘Into My Blues’, ‘Bad Girl Version’.

Reviewed — Eva Be — Moving Without Traveling (Best Seven) Cat. No. SBCD007 Release date: 13th August 2007

Links:
www.myspace.com/evabe
www.bestseven.de
www.micatone.de
www.jahcoozi.com
www.billie-holiday.net
www.fatFreddysdrop.com
www.myspace.com/fatFreddysdropnz
www.theblackseeds.com