John Brown's Body, Toubab Krewe

It’s natural to be suspicious of a reggae band whose members hail from Rastafarian hotbeds like, er, Ithaca, N.Y., and Cambridge, Mass. But a couple of aspects to John Brown’s Body will change your mind from thinking these are New England posers ripping off Jamaican culture. First, the eight-man band is aces at fulfilling all the traditional needs of reggae, from the potent horn blasts to silky vocal harmonies to Jah-hyping lyrics. More important, though, is the fact the band has been steadily moving away from simply rehashing traditional reggae licks, particularly after longtime bassist Scott Palmer died in 2006. A reshuffled lineup decided to push the band’s sound in new directions, including dub, drum ‘n’ bass and hard funk. It’s a winning combination the group calls “future roots.” In Toubab Krewe, John Brown’s Body may have found an ideal touring partner. The North Carolina-based quintet fuses West African influences with American sounds ranging from zydeco to surf along with a rootsy vibe gleaned from their native Appalachian stomping grounds.