*** 1/2 FISHBONE : “The Reality of My Surroundings” : <i> Columbia</i>

If sprawling Los Angeles were tightly packed New York, Fishbone would be Living Colour: fierce, proud, angry and pretty much focused in one direction. The reality of the ‘Bone’s SoCal surroundings diffuses the focus, but broadens the horizons. Yet on its fourth full album, the outfit manages to come off as fierce, proud and angry, without losing the manic craziness and humor of previous efforts.

The album gets off to a questionable start: “Fight the Youth” is Living Colour, essentially--a call to arms, blazing guitar lines and a speedy pace. But using song snippets and sound bites as interstitial spice, Fishbone stews its own bouillabaisse with varying flavors of ska-funk-metal-punk on the likes of “Housework” and the sparkling skankadelic single “Sunless Saturday.”

Things get real serious with the pairing of the Last Poets-like “Junkies Prayer” and the reggae sermon “Pray to the Junkiemaker,” while such influences as Sly Stone and Kid Creole are honored spiritedly with the ebullient “Everyday Sunshine” and “Naz-Tee May’en,” respectively. Maybe that’s too little focus, but that’s just the mark of an ambitious, talented act that’s still growing.

Albums are rated on a scale of one star (poor) to five (a classic).