Apparently Winston McAnuff hasn't let the bankruptcy of the Makasound label affect him too much, because just months after they had to lay down the books, he's back with 'A Bang'. In France McAnuff has built himself a reputation with his crossover experiments, so a pure reggae album this is not. For 'A Bang' Winston collaborated with a lot of good folk (Sly & Robbie, Roots Radics, Bongo Herman, Sticky Thompson, Earl 'Chinna' Smith), but it's Camile Bazbaz' input (the two also collaborated on 'Nostradamus' and the similar 'A Drop' from 2005), which is most significant. The result is a varied but strong album that one moment is reminiscent of the rock of The Rolling Stones ('Jacob's Ladder') and the next brings to mind the Eddy Grant's reggae disco ('Easy Rider', 'Toys Are Us'), with a dash of reggae added here and there for good measure ('Hey Girl', 'Angela Davis', 'Mary Mary'). Be sure to check the great nyahbinghi lullaby 'Settle Babylon'. Life is for those who dare!