Hailing from St. Croix, USVI, Midnite has been doing its thing – that thing being playing righteous roots reggae – since 1989, doling out albums at an amazing rate since their 1997 recording debut. Midnite’s music has never been sweetened or softened for the sake of record sales: vocalist Vaughan Benjamin lays it down in a style that’s a hybrid of powerful chant woven with bursts of soulful melody. This is not reggae lite by any means, folks – but if you appreciate heart with your riddim, then Midnite’s music is something you should dig into.

Kings Bell finds Benjamin teamed up with some pretty heavy all-stars of the Jamaican music scene, including drummer Leroy “Horsemouth” Wallace (of recent vintage, rhythm keeper for Burning Spear) and legendary guitarist Earl “Chinna” Smith. Bassist/producer Andrew “Bassie” Campbell and studio wizard/multi-instrumentalist Laurent “Tippy I” Alfred also lend their talents to both sides of the recording console. (The core of Kings Bell was recorded at Tuff Gong Studios in Jamaica, while overdubs and final mixing went down at the I Grade Records studio back in St. Croix.) The end result is an album that is as welcoming as anything Midnite has recorded, without lacking an ounce of muscle.

On “Bittersweet”, Benjamin testifies over Wallace’s laid-back-yet-right-on drum work; Campbell lays down an amazing bed of Nyabinghi drums beneath Benjamin’s vocals on “The Quickening”; and “Torpedo” may be the heaviest ska song you’ve ever heard.

The title song benefits from waves of horns and Alfred’s sharply-skanked guitar rhythms rubbing up against a spooky mist of organ. Listen for the lovely passages of Smith’s guitar on “Jewel Inna Africa Horn” and “Black Mamba”. “System Peak Out” is the album’s most thickly-produced track (layers of guitars and various keys/synth wind their ways over/under/around Benjamin’s voice), but it never sounds gimmicky or over-polished. And on “Mongst I & I”, Benjamin and Campbell join forces to create a tune that has both heavily-dubbed sound shifts and a memorable chorus that can’t help but hook you on the first pass.

Kings Bell is a memorable Midnite album – perhaps their best to date. With a catalog that lists well over 40 titles, that’s quite a statement, but it’s true. One might wonder what could possibly follow it; with music as pure as this, inspiration comes from the simple act of living life.