Kingston Rudieska - Everyday People (2014) Kingston Rudieska have taken their next giant leap towards world ska domination with their latest double CD release, Everyday People. As evidenced by their previous albums, the band’s musicality and devotion to Jamaican styles has never been in doubt. But Everyday People shows a more grown up group intent on bringing new concepts to a classic genre.Undoubtedly, the most exciting aspect of this album is the production efforts of Brian Dixon. His old-school studio techniques and Gestalt approach to music has tapped into the sounds of classic Jamaican recordings and, somehow, old Korean psychedelic rock cuts as well. The result is a soulful, warm vibe. Everyday People is an example of how the right producer can elevate a band to a better version of themselves.Beginning with their previous full length release, 3rd Kind, it seems Kingston Rudieska has been exploring different genres and ideas. Everyday People continues in that vein. The first track, Walking, Talking, Thinking, is a wonderful mashup of rocksteady, dub and jam, which sets the mood for the rest of the album.The majority of the album sounds 100% like classic Kingston Rudieska with that aforementioned Brian Dixon powerup. The instruments, especially the organ, blend beautifully with one another. And much of the song writing harkens back to their early days of ska jazz, a la the Skatalites, but without the baggage of trying too hard to sound “authentic.”The one track that best exhibits this maturation is East & West. It’s a jammy instrumental featuring Choe Hwi Seon on the Yanggeum, a traditional Korean folk instrument similar to a dulcimer, that shows off their ska chops and celebrates their Korean roots. Never, No More features guest saxophone Tommy Tornado. The arrangement is just gorgeous and the chorus gets stuck in your head whether you want it there or not. Kim Dae Min (drums) and Son Hyung Sick (bass) groove hard throughout the album but their shine is especially bright on this track.A common genre visited throughout the album is lover’s rock, that old romantic reggae sound from the 70’s. Vocalist, Sugar Suk Yuel, croons tenderly over the exquisite strings of Kim Violin on On the Beach and his broken heart transcends the language barrier of The Way You Are. He even conjures up the old Wailers sound on Gimme Some Love with the suggestive refrain and reverb soaked backing harmonies. Another love song, You Are the One, is sung with confidence and finesse by longtime saxophone player, Sung Nock Won. His smooth tenor blends well with the Motown soul feel of the verses. Hopefully his vocal abilities will be featured more in the future as it is clear he is up to the task.Disc 1 of the album goes out the way it came in: with a grooving rootsy jam. The solos on Sir Rico go to guitarist, Seo Jae Ha, and Yim Chae Sun on keys. They handily prove they are masters of more than just rhythm. The pocket is deep and the horn section lays down a hook that leaves the listener wanting more.Luckily, there is more - in the form of a second disc of casual jams and dubs with Brian Dixon. In their past releases, attention to detail and a desire for perfection showed through with three LP’s of squeaky clean polished ska music. But the recording methods used by Dixon on Everyday People focused less on getting right and more on group togetherness and, in his own words, “grit.” The second disc is a testament to the success of this strategy. The first three tracks were all cut on the last day of recording with just one or two takes. Sailor’s Chant is a variation on an old Korean folk song, Love Lake Session is the result of a simple chord progression thrown up on a white board and Boom Boom’s Arirang is deep hypnotic reggae tune based on another folk song. Finally, Dixon dubbed two versions of disc one tracks to close out the album.Bands with long careers can often stagnate from album to album. Perhaps they find some success with their first sound and never really grow beyond that. Or the opposite can happen and one offering sounds so different from the previous one that fans can be left disappointed. Everyday People is proof that Kingston Rudieska continue to grow and focus new inspiration even after ten years since they first stepped onstage.This is one of those rare album where every track is a winner; the compulsion to press “play” one more time waits for you at the end of every listen. With the release of the Dr. Ring Ding collaborative EP and now Everyday People, 2014 has been a big year. By all indications, in 2015, Kingston Rudieska is set to blast off and Everyday People will gladly hold their fans’ attention until the next big project.