Skindred – Big Tings

Skindred are back with a new album – Big Tings.When they first started out, blending reggae and metal seemed like a crazy idea, but they’ve proved that it works and they’ve built a reputation in the UK for catchy songs and superb live shows.

With this new album, Skindred seem to ahve shaken things up a bit. There are still some catchy songs with their distinctive sound that are bound to go down a storm in their live sets, but there are also changes. This album is more of a straight rock album than anything Skindred have done before. Don’t worry, they haven’t completely changed – the dub/reggae influences are still there, but they are trying new things with some of the songs being closer to a traditional rock/metal song than Skindred usually are, and I think it could help them gain a load of new fans as this album is likely to be one that rock and metal fans find more familiar rather than being quite as big a shock as hearing some of the earlier skindred albums for the first time.

The final track on the album is a bit of a shock – an soft ballad type song with an acoustic intro. It’s actually a beautiful song with a personal and intimate feel to it, and shows a different side to Benji’s voice, and the band overall. It’s so different from the big bouncy Skindred songs we’re used to but it’s a fantastic song and a real highlight on the album.

This is a fantastic album, but no matter how good Skindred albums get, they still won’t compare to the experience of seeing them doing a live show. Buy the CD, learn the songs then get to a Skindred gig and experience the songs as they’re meant to be experienced – LOUD and with lots of other people having fun.

Track listing:

1. Big Tings
2. That’s my jam
3. Machine
4. Last chance
5. Tell me
6. Loud and clear
7. Alive
8. All this time
9. Broken glass
10. Saying it now