I’ll give the band their due, while ‘The Blackjack City Street Sensation’ isn’t my thing, I was whistling the title track for a good few hours after I’d stopped listening to it. And that’s always, for me anyway, the sign of a good tune. Saving Grace are pretty inventive and original, fusing ska, reggae and a little punk and coming up with something that’s while not earth-shattering, is at least a half-decent listen.
The album’s title track aside, there are a couple of tunes here that have a catchy hook and a nice melody – ‘Fake’ and ‘Get It’ are interesting and melodic, although not in your typical nice and melodic way. The band even get a bit of a groove going at times, kind of Rx bandit-esque if they were a little more laid back and a little less socially aware. As I mentioned at the outset, this isn’t something I would usually listen to, yet I still quite enjoyed it. This Northwich trio may not break new ground, but for ska/reggae fans they’re well worth checking out.