While most of Jamaica's music scene looks to hip-hop for inspiration, a new breed of reggae acts sounds more like rock and punk in comparison. Kingston's Rootz Underground is the most impressive of this bunch, an incredibly tight (and young) six-piece outfit that has been together for eight years. While the band revives roots reggae of the late 1970s and early 1980s, don't label it a nostalgia act: Movement might recall the Meditations, but everything here feels contemporary, like "Hammer," a slice of conscious reggae broad enough to sound new in the 21st century. Like American jam bands, Rootz prides itself on stellar live performances (not surprisingly, Stephen Newland's charismatic singing here is surpassed only by killer grooves). In this respect, the band is poised for greatness. Go see them live. Now.

-- Lee Froehlich