Roots & Culture

On Roots and Culture, Jeff Baker (a.k.a. King Django) takes traditional Yiddish folk and klezmer songs (as well as original songs written in those styles) and performs them in ska and reggae arrangements. Now, this may sound like a terrible idea to you or it may sound wonderful — but even if you’re skeptical, I recommend giving it a chance. Tunes like “Shtiklakh” and the very dread Sabbath anthem “Seventh Day” are exceptionally powerful, as is the existential meditation “A Single Thread” — but really, there’s not a weak track here.