Uneven Vibration From Reggae Trio

“Jah is the strength of my life.” That regulation-issue reggae lyric took on an added dimension during Israel Vibration’s hour-plus performance before a packed house at the Music Machine on Thursday. The vocal trio, Jamaican-born but now New York-based, were childhood polio victims--Cecil Spence and Lacelle Bulgin used arm braces and Albert Craig a cane to support themselves on stage.

The three singers democratically split lead vocals, but the constant shifting of position at the center mike slowed the pace. The Roots Radics band provided powerful backing, as well as persistent feedback that frequently obscured the harmony vocals. While the music kept the audience locked in a slow, steady sway throughout the set, Israel Vibration’s performance only occasionaly rose above the level of proficient reggae grooving.

Charlie Chaplin was more successful during his 30-minute opening set. He’s one of the few artists working in the rap/sing deejay style who eschews “slackness” (sexually boastful lyrics), and he had some of the grainy, gritty quality of the late Peter Tosh. His forceful stage presence made that maddening deejay habit of suddenly interrupting and then re-starting a song halfway palatable.