Let's Face It

While The Mighty Mighty Bosstones had been an inspiration to bands like No Doubt and Sublime, the later mainstream success of those bands let the Bosstones sneak onto the Billboard charts in 1997, with Let’s Face It. “The Impression That I Get” was one of that year's most ubiquitous songs: an insistently catchy ska riff that blended self-effacing lyrics with a hard-hitting delivery. The song wasn’t a fluke. In fact, the rest of Let’s Face It is as good, if not better, than its breakout single. “The Rascal King,” “Royal Oil," and “Break So Easily” are high-impact tunes with vulnerable secrets. They're built on empathetic snapshots of lowlife characters who wanted to win but couldn’t. While Dicky Barrett portrays himself as a hapless frontman on the brilliantly structured opener, “Noise Brigade,” many of the songs here show him taking a courageous stand, whether against senseless violence on “Numbered Days” or bigotry and hate on “Let’s Face It.” Best of all, he no longer feels the need to shout through every song; his wounded croon could be as powerful a weapon as the rabid bark that brought him fame.