House of Rhythm

Although lumped in with the third wave ska revival of the mid-'90s, the London-based quintet House of Rhythm is much more into traditional '60s-style Jamaican ska than most of the artists in that short-lived revival, most of whom used the punk-inflected British ska boom of 1979 as their starting point. House of Rhythm consists of lead singer Leon Kirkland, percussionist and singer Michael "Charlie" Charles, trumpeter Ralph Lamb, guitarist Nigel Price, bassist Jeff Lucas, and drummer Jeremy Holroyd. On their debut album, 1996's In a Different Style, the group is augmented by an alto and tenor saxophonist and a pair of keyboard players. ~ Stewart Mason