The Frightnrs escort Daptone Records into the world of long-playing reggae with both the sweetest and the roughest record of the decade, Nothing More To Say out next Friday, September 2nd.
Nothing More To Say is a testament to the belief that the classic sound of Jamaican Rocksteady, when treated with the utmost respect and devotion, can be reimagined to speak to a new generation. It is a testament to the powerful forces that can be unleashed when a strong aesthetic is pursued through the relationship of a band, a record label and a producer. And finally it is a testament to the creative genius, as both songwriter and vocalist, of Frightnrs Lead Singer, Dan Klein who passed away in June 2016 after being diagnosed with ALS in November of 2015.
Nothing More To Say is a true collaboration between the band, black belt producer and arranger Victor Axlerod aka Ticklah and Daptone Records. In 2015, Daptone released the Frightnrs cover version of the Etta James classic “I’d Rather Go Blind” to great acclaim. The single stayed true to the soulful roots of Jamaican Rocksteady (a revered genre that famously appeared in Jamaica in 1967 and had petered out by late 1968 yielding some of the greatest Jamaican music ever made) while imbuing the genre with a crisp energy that casts away any overtures to imitation or nostalgia. Daptone had long wanted to make a full length Rocksteady LP with Victor Axelrod at the helm and The Frightnrs were the band to do it. “Rocksteady was the first style of Jamaican music that Dan and me fell in love with,” explains Frightnrs keyboardist Chuck Patel, “and the idea of making a classic album for a classic label like Daptone was a dream come true.”
Nothing More To Say was recorded during the summer of 2015 before anyone, including Dan Klein himself, knew of the impending ALS diagnosis. Although some songs seem to foreshadow the tragic events that followed, these songs are strictly based on the band’s experiences with love and loss.
Courtesy of NPR First Listen- check out this glorious album in its entirety…..
