With ska inspired music enjoying something of a resurgence at the moment with the likes of bands like the King Blues being able to play sold out venues on tour and get cushy spots at many of the bigger festivals throughout the UK it could be seen that the choice to resurrect '90s alternative rock and ska punk outfit Sublime (albeit under the moniker "Sublime With Rome", to acknowledge the change in frontman from Bradley Nowell, who died of a heroin overdose in 1996) couldn't have come at a better time for the band, and indeed if anybody caught the band on their mini UK tour last November (which consisted of a London and Manchester date, both sold out events) they would have seen that the California-based band haven't lost any of either their musical prowess nor their rapport with fans.

Fast forward 15 years after the band last released an album (1996's 'Sublime', which showcased more of the band's alt-rock leanings than their previous releases) and the band are working up to the release of the album, 'Yours Truly', recruiting new vocalist Rome Ramirez to fill out the line-up. Produced by Butthole Surfer Paul Leary the album has a polished yet raw sound to it, creating a much more "distilled" version of the band than their '90s output, which in the space of 3 songs could range from reggae to alt rock to hardcore punk, all tied in with the signature ska leanings.

Opening track and leading single 'Panic' is a heavier lead-in for the album than any of their previous opening tracks, and switches from heavier ska-punk style verses to standard ska choruses, giving the song a somewhat frantic nature which works perfectly to hook the listener.

'Only' slows the pace down to more familiar alt-rock style Sublime though, dropping the pace drastically to more 'Garden Grove' levels, and though it lacks the stuck in the brain sing-along choruses of songs like 'Santeria' or 'Wrong Way' it showcases that the band haven't lost their mellow leanings, and still have the ability to range their music from frantic bounce-alongs to lighter in the air ballads that seem to be built to cater to both fans who have come along to rock out, and those who are along to enjoy the show and dance.

With that in mind, 'Lovers Rock' fits perfectly under this bill, if 'Panic' was the mosh happy track on the album then this is the "hold your girlfriend and sing" tune, combining a slow bouncy rhythm and repetitive chorus to really get latched into your brain, and once you've heard it no doubt this track will keep popping up in the back of your head for days. 'Murdera' keeps in tempo with the previous two tracks, offering up more subdued sing-along ska rock. The pace once again picks up with 'My World', which reconciles the faster pace of 'Panic' with the catchy choruses of 'Murdera' and 'Lovers Rock', offering up a track which is both bouncy and catchy.

As previously mentioned, Sublime never were a band that stuck to once style, and indeed Sublime With Rome are no different, 'Paper Cuts' combines Rome's melodic vocal with a decidedly hardcore punk riff to create a truly forceful and rocking tune. The pace drops again for 'PCH', with the acoustic guitars greatly contrasting the furious riffing of its predeceasing track, though it doesn't completely drop off to chilled out ballad levels, instead opting for more sun-soaked alt rock bounciness. This is continued for 'Same Old Situation', 'You Better Listen' and 'Take It Or Leave It', the latter track in particular having a radio-friendliness that could see it as a lucrative chart-invading opportunity. Penultimate track 'Spun' continues down the road of alt rock, before finally giving way to one last bouncy reggae infused tune in the form of closing track 'Can You Feel It', which has more than a slight air of two tone to it, rounding the album up in a relaxed and warm way that not many other ska bands can achieve to this level.

Overall the album is a perfect Sublime record, and none of the magic of bassist Eric Wilson or drummer Bud Gaugh's abilities have been lost in the 15 year wait for new Sublime material. Rome's vocals, whilst similar to his predecessors, are still honest and endearing enough to not simply brush the band away cynically as a cash in on the Sublime name, and indeed if this album had been released under any name other than Sublime (With Rome, for legal reasons) it would have been difficult to justify as the album boasts everything that made Sublime a great band and gave them a cult following back in the 1990s, right down to the tiniest detail; hell, even the producer remains the same - Leary also produced the band's final album in 1996.

www.myspace.com/sublimewithrome