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- Summary: The first full-length studio release in nearly 18 years for the reformed British ska-punk band sees the return of Terry Hall to the line-up.
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- Record Label: Island
- Genre(s): Pop/Rock
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Score distribution:
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Positive: 10 out of 13
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Mixed: 3 out of 13
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Negative: 0 out of 13
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The WireMar 7, 2019Encore is Hall’s first record under the moniker since the 1981 single “Ghost Town”, and with guitarist Lynval Golding and bassist Horace Panter in the fold, it feels more like The Specials than anything has in a long time. [Mar 2019, p.59]
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Feb 4, 2019Hall’s deadpan tones offer the same strangely reassuring grounded presence on the opening track, a bullish political anthem Black Skin Blue Eyed Boys. Yet with its slick funk and soul groove, I can’t remember the Specials ever sounding quite so smooth.
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Q MagazineFeb 4, 2019An album very much worthy of The Specials' name. [Mar 2019, p.118]
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UncutJan 31, 2019Encore is a perfectly good record. ... But one can't help but wonder how Dammers' wayward genius might have added a level of glorious unpredictability to proceedings. [Mar 2019, p.22]
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Apr 1, 2019Encore won't change the world, it won't inspire the youth to fight but it cements The Specials place as vital political commentators with a legacy that can't be understated.
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Feb 4, 2019With signpost singers Terry Hall and Lynval Golding in place, and Horace Panter holding down the bass lines, the classic sound is fairly intact, as is the spirit.
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Jan 31, 2019Encore is at its best when it leaves the Specials’ past behind and faces forward.
Score distribution:
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Positive: 1 out of 1
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Mixed: 0 out of 1
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Negative: 0 out of 1
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Feb 5, 2019
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