AMPLIFY BY JOHN BROWN’S BODY

Amplify was the successful follow-up to 2005’s Pressure Points. It marked a significant turning point for the band, following the departure of founding vocalist/songwriter Kevin Kinsella, the loss of bassist Scott Palmer to cancer, and vocal chord surgery for vocalist/songwriter Elliot Martin. But it also marked another major step forward for the band, evolving their Future Roots sound ever further from where it started on Spirits All Around Us and Pressure Points, and putting the production more in the control of Martin (working with the band’s soundman/dubmaster at the time, Jason “Jocko” Randall). It also introduced new band members who would help shape the next period of JBB music, including bassist Nate Edgar, keyboardist Matt Goodwin, and the horn section of Alex Toth and Annakalmia Traver (who would both eventually depart to form the celebrated progressive pop world band Rubblebucket). The record features twelve original tracks (14 on the digital release), showcasing JBB’s broad palette of influences: from classic UK reggae of the 70âs to West African instrumentation, from indie rock to spaghetti westerns.