It starts off with "Road Zombie," a quick jam with the band. "It's Not Too Late" adds vocals and a nice ska-funk beat to the music. You'll jump up from your chair and start skankin'. "Doin Something Naughty" is a pretty funky tune with some great horn driven parts. The funk will light up your mind with fun and entertainment, while the horns will drive pure pleasure through your bones. "Racist World" brings in some great ska beats that are sure to get you softly skankin' around your room. If the gentle ska beats weren't enough, the lyrics are very strong. "We live in racist world/where the colors of the land won't keep us hand in hand/we live in a troubled time/ where the news of the dead is just another page of red/we live in a racist world" is the opening chorus to the song. The lyrics are so powerful, and sadly, so true. If people in the world could start judging others on their minds, and not their skin, maybe we all could live in the world that Skankin' Pickle so often dreams about, as do I. And as the horns' melody soothe over your soul for a moment of time, you know after this song is over your going to have to face the world again. "Asian Man" lightens up the mood with some comedy. A slight punk lining combined with funk back up the words as you laugh hilariously throughout the song. "I'm sick of people always telling me that dog shouldn't be eaten as a delicacy/Yo, it tastes good like sandwich meat/and heck I like it/and it's low in calories." These lines grab you from beginning, and the rest of the song doesn't disappoint you either. The whole song is hilarious. Skankin' Pickle show they can be downright serious when they need to, and they can also lighten up the mood with humor and have fun. Track eleven, "Fakin Jamaican," starts out with a beautiful melody of horns. Ska and rasta combined will make you skank' along to the songs. The main vocals add a sweet touch to the song, as the backing vocals add even more depth. The CD spins down with "Peter Piper & Mary," a punk meets a band having fun combo with horns that will add a golden touch to the song, and ska thrown in here and there to melt together a nice closing to the CD.

It's fun to hear a band from it's beginning, and compare how much they have progressed to the future. Skafunkrastapunk is a solid album that is sure to entertain you. However, Skankin' Pickle didn't hit it right on with their first album. They showed a lot of talent, but they also showed a lot of spots that could have been beefed up. In short, they needed work. And I think they knew this. I'll give this album a B+. It's a classic baby, so go pick it up! Hear the humble beginnings that started the legacy!

Skankin' Pickle: Fever

Skanksters, The: Dub Cookery

[Issue One // July-August 1997]