On his first solo album, A Poet’s Life, Rancid frontman Tim Armstrong realizes this and tries his best at capturing the essence of early rocksteady 45s. To his credit, he mostly succeeds.   Full text...

Like the Clash's Joe Strummer, Armstrong (backed here by the Aggrolites, a fine reggae act from the singer's own Hellcat stable) has a knack for adding strong melodies and heartfelt lyrics to rock-steady rhythms that grab the listener and don't let go.  Full text...

A chilled out summing-up of Armstrong's career by the unique voice of the man himself.  Full text...

A Poet's Life proves once again, that Armstrong's got a lot more talent than the punk-rock status quo wants him to exercise.  Full text...

Armstrong shakes the monotony with "Into Action," an old-school ska track with an infectious surf-rock guitar line. But otherwise, it'll take a keen ear to tell the difference between many of the mid-tempo reggae songs he fumbles with.  Full text...