POP MUSIC REVIEW : Pauline Black Leads Selecter in Vibrant Set at Whisky

The L.A. branch of Ska Nation gathered at the Whisky on Wednesday, convened for an appearance by a founder--the Selecter, one of the brigade of English bands (including Madness, the Specials and the English Beat) that in the early ‘80s whipped up dance-floor frenzy with its propulsive proto-reggae music while delivering implied and overt messages of racial brotherhood.

Singer Pauline Black was unmistakably star material back then, and with the new Selecter (which she reactivated three years ago) she remains a casually commanding presence and vibrant singer. At the Whisky she led the band through most of the old Selecter favorites--including “Missing Words,” “On My Radio” and a “Too Much Pressure” broken up with a bit of Toots & the Maytals’ “Pressure Drop.”

Cautioning against total nostalgia, Black also introduced songs from the current “The Happy Album,” the group’s first collection of new material since 1981. The music brought in enough pop elements to somewhat counter ska’s narrow musical scope, but the moments the fans really devoured were the all-out, pumping, carnival-like classics that turned the crowd on the dance floor into a single, throbbing creature.