Steel Pulse

I can't tell whether the relatively clearheaded politics of these English Jamaicans detract from their ejaculatory, off-center music or make it sound more avant-garde than it is. Both, probably. If their Steve Biko song isn't as affecting as Tom Paxton's, their George Jackson song beats Dylan's, and I can't imagine anyone else, not even Tom Robinson, making a hook out of "rock against racism." One of their secrets, as you might have guessed, is a terrific beat. Another is forthright singing of a sort that--and now I'm guessing--can only grow out of unshakable conviction. (Grade: A-)