Released: April 19
Reggae icons UB40 celebrate four and a half decades of hits on their aptly-titled new album, ‘UB45’.
Consisting of 14 tracks – half new recordings and half reworked hits from the group’s catalogue – the set is their first with new frontman Matt Doyle and documents the latest phase in the evolution of the group through the years.
Praising Doyle for bringing “a new lease of life to our music”, Robin Campbell says of the LP: “When you play songs over so many years, the arrangements and vocals evolve and change. These updated versions of our hits are still close to the originals, but now reflect how we perform them today and they sound better than ever.”
Opening track Home fuses trademark UB40 beats and the powerful themes of inequality and bigotry that have characterised the band’s output over the years, making for an essential addition to their repertoire, while Champion has already carved a place in history having become the official anthem of the 2022 Commonwealth Games.
Meanwhile, the single Gimme Some Kinda Sign dates back to the seminal 1983 album ‘Labour Of Love’ and was one of Campbell’s top picks to cover, alongside Red Red Wine which became a global hit off the back of that record and is among the reinterpreted material on offer.
By and large, the changes to the classic tracks are minimal, although a more ‘live’ sound reinforces the unity of UB40’s latest iteration, which has cut its teeth on the live circuit extensively over the past few years.
The real strength of ‘UB45’ is the new material; with Doyle in tow, the group is re energised and, 45 years into their career, the band sounds effortlessly fresh and current. Delving into the archive makes sense given recent changes, and as an introduction to the new frontman the tracks come out strong, but what’s more exciting is the prospect of future recordings that continue the UB40 legacy.
