UB40 – Getting Over the Storm

Seems   like   it   was   just   yesterday   when   UB40   got   together   in Birmingham England

But 35 years have since passed and the British reggae pop band is still living the dream as evident by their 20th studio album Getting Over the Storm

All 13 tracks have a similar reggae ring to it with subtle hints of Red Red Wine and Kingston Town.

Apart from the refreshing sounds of lead vocal Duncan Campbell who took over from brother Ali, it’s mostly new lyrics on old riffs which remind me of a Chinese saying 換湯不換藥 loosely translated to mean a superficial change of form but not the substance.

Interestingly, reggae meets country in this album – five original songs and mostly covers of country hits.

What stood out for me was How Can A Poor Man Stand Such Times and Live written during the Great Depression by Blind Alfred Reed. The only song with a political spin on it.

How Will I Get Through This has an unusual minor chord progression that can get rather monotonous and after a while starts to sound like the track Blue Bilet Doux.

Well, to be honest, I’m not quite a reggae fan. This album doesn’t quite do it for me. I’m giving UB40’s Getting Over the Storm a 2 out of 5.