For those whose knowledge of reggae is limited to such luminaries as Bob Marley, Junior Murvin or Peter Tosh, Island Gruve Supper Club is a welcome new-school addition to an old-school sound. The eight-person, mostly Atlanta-based collective has ties to everyone from Burning Spear to Ziggy Marley, and its members all have formidable reputations of their own.
Mighty Fine, Everlasting Music, the group’s debut, is an easy-going set of classic, mellow grooves that rarely disappoints. From the infectious romp of “Hey,” to “She Thanks the Lord,” which borrows its bass line from Steve Miller’s “The Joker,” Mighty Fine holds a pleasant vibe throughout, with the exception of a few spoken-word and skit pieces that disrupt the flow. But even with these minor flaws, Island Gruve Supper Club’s debut goes down like fine Jamaican rum on a sweltering summer evening .