Since their emergence last year as Adelaide’s energetic new live proponents of feel-good reggae and sun-drenched pop, the Fraud Millionaires have wasted no time releasing their debut album. The self-titled full length CD, their second independent release, does justice to the band’s energy, sound and vibrations in eleven bite-sized morsels.

If you’re looking for a direct Jamaican reggae rip-off act, the Frauds are anything but that. While oozing character and passion, singer Roasty remains unabashedly Australian in his lyrics, values and sense of humour. Occasionally political, the track Backyard is a standout response to last year’s race riots in Sydney, and the band preach the trinity of reggae ideology- peace, love and unity. Party tune All Night Rockers is another standout, in the form of a splashy upbeat jam. There’s even an element of ‘show-tune’ in their repertoire, with the Western (yes, high noon y’all) inspired Coming to Town. The sweet reggae ballad Secure Ya Load completes the portrait of the Frauds as versatile and accomplished musicians with a sense of adventure.

While capable of some tight reggae vamps, some tunes do become awkward at times in their transitions, and not every track fits the fold. Pink Shirt while amusing, seems too aggressive to belong on this album as it slams a fashion victim with its dirty rock guitar. Similarly, despite its lush verses, the feeling of Blood of a Nation is uncharacteristically sombre, and its dissonance makes this a peculiar choice to end the album.

Charged with stories of beaches, drinking, girls and late night cab rides in our land down under, there’s a touch of the Brothers Finn and even The Living End in this record. The shiznit for me though is buried in tracks like Vegas though, with its tight and sexy dub-dancehall groove. The track also introduces album artwork designer and occasional rapper Josh2000 with a raw hit of South Aussie MC action. With collaborations like this and the pursuit of the sexy club sound over the splashy live rock one could see this act sit proudly beside acts like The Red Eyes, The Resurrectors and Rastawookie in years to come.