Girl With the Fishbowl Eyes

The Girl with the Fishbowl Eyes, Go Jimmy Go's third release, is a what-you-see-is-what-you-get production -- the ska, rocksteady, reggae, and soul they fuse busts out un-self-consciously from opening track "Radio KGJG" and doesn't let up until the final horn has merrily tooted on "In-Between Times," a remake from the earlier release Soul Arrival. That's in line with the cover art, which pictures a Hawaiian beauty not with fishbowl eyes but with a retro look that matches this band's recent nod to old-school heroes like Jimmy Cliff. Standout tracks on a disc that anyone with designs on throwing a hip luau should not be without include the island-funky title track, the soul-poked "Don't Be So Cruel," and the ska-centric "The Governor's Daughter." Spin it and see if grass skirts don't get to shaking. Go Jimmy Go has managed to modernize island music without polluting it. ~ Tammy La Gorce