Serious production chops go out to Ticklah and Axelrod on this full-length called "Ticklah vs. Axelrod" ...though really Ticklah is Axelrod is Ticklah (in a circular split personality kind of way), who also goes by the name his parents gave him, Victor Axelrod. Throughout this, his third full-length album Ticklah masterfully places echoes and delays exactly where they need to be at the exact moment needed to create a truly heady experience.

1. Two Face
2. Want Not (feat. Tamar-kali)
3. Scratch To Win
4. Mi Sonsito (feat. Mayra Vega)
5. Rescue Me (feat. Mikey General)
6. Pork Eater (feat. Rob Symeonn)
7. Nature Loving Dub
8. Descent
9. Si Hecho Palante (feat. Mayra Vega)
10. Answer Me
11. Queen Dub (feat. Rob Symeonn)
12. Deception (feat. Vinia Mojica)
13. Nine Years

Nearly straight out of the gate Ticklah impresses with "Want Not" featuring Tamar-kali. It's a beautifully sung piece with scratchy wah-wah guitar and nice bass dropouts.

What's exciting to hear on all these songs is the live dub-edit feel. Hearkening back to the early days of dub when it was mixed and dubbed in a spur of the moment vibe, there's a looseness that makes the more traditional dub tracks like "Rescue Me", "Scratch To Win", and "Pork Eater" (one of two tracks that feature the voice of fellow Brooklyn rocker Rob Symeonn) far better than they would have been in lesser hands.

Standout songs are "Descent" with its broken trumpet lead and "Two Face" for its unrelenting stereo-echo attack. Smartly adding in a Latin-based rhythm to "Mi Sonsito" and "Si Hecho Palante", and then using stellar vocals from Mayra Vega equal an on-fire combination that mixes up the vibe of the album enough to keep you waiting for and guessing at what's coming next. "Nine Years" closes the album with mosquito buzzing in your ear dub that leaves you dreamy and satisfied after 13 tracks of true DUB.

~ Dedric Moore

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