He speaks about growing up in England and dealing with racism. The funk continues into with “B.L.M.” with a spoken word tune from Lynval. It’s a good indicator for people that this isn’t the Specials we’re used to listening to. They couldn’t find a way to make this into a ska song? It’s upbeat but it doesn’t sound like the Specials. It’s a cover of the classic multiracial British band The Equals but I don’t think The Equals even had the song this disco-ish. The first track on Encore will throw everyone for a loop since it’s pretty much a disco funk song (“Black Skin, Blue Eyed Boys”).
The Specials have done that in the past but feels like they took it down a notch even further. The other ska-ish song is “Embarrassed By You.” There are more slow tempo reggae songs than ska. Even though it’s a song we heard before, still one of the best on the album. I really love the updated lyrics for it, taking shots (no pun intended) at the NRA. This time, Lynval updates the lyrics to reflect what’s going on in the U.S. The first is “Blam Blam Fever,” a cover song of the Valentines, which the Specials covered before on the Skinhead Girl album. Second, I think I counted maybe 2 uptempo ska songs on this album.
First, the current lineup features only 3 original members Terry, Horace and Lynval. The 2 biggest question fans will probably ask: “do Neville, Roddy or Jerry play on this album?” and “where did the ska go?” No, they aren’t and yeah, good question. I really hate to say that but that’s how I felt the first few listens. I just think lyrically, it’s really strong but musically, it comes across as kind of boring and tepid for me. I have a feeling it will divide up the fanbase a little in terms of people liking this or not. Encore is The Specials first new album with Terry Hall singing in over 37 years and this album will certainly be talked about among fans for awhile.
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