With Back a Yard, reggae pillars the Wailing Souls round the corner into over 50 years of making rock solid records of roots without ever losing their passion for exploration. Five decades and dozens of records in, Back a Yard finds original Wailing Souls Winston Matthews and Lloyd McDonald crackling with life and toying with different production choices on various tracks. Production was handled by noted singer Alborosie, who adds a new verse to the reworking of the group's '90s hit "Shark Attack." Hints of digital dub and dancehall undercurrents show up in the form of computeristic drum samples and understated synth additions on tunes like the mellow "Invisable Wall" and the simmering groove of "Down in Trench Town." The majority of the set is traditional roots reggae augmented by these funky production subtleties, but every so often, the band throws in an unexpected jazzy intro or horn section part ("Eyes on You") or dips into dubbed-out vocal treatments. At this point, Wailing Souls are reggae veterans several times over and could easily turn in a new set of songs without much effort. Instead of a phoned-in performance, Back a Yard sounds just as inspired and alive as the group did during the '70s and '80s. It's a must for any committed fan as much as a fine starting point for those just becoming familiar with the Wailing Souls or roots reggae in general.