For those drawing a blank hearing David Hillyard's name, this sax player from San Diego, California, made a name for himself playing with bands like Hepcat, The Donkey Show and The Slackers. The Rocksteady 7 is Hillyard's hobby project, focusing on swinging ska and rocksteady instrumentals with influences from other genres also filtering through: on 'Friends & Enemies' the jazzy 'In A Mellow Tone', the bluesy solo in 'Blast Off' and 'Assaw Fofor', Hillyard's interpretation of African genres like afrobeat or Ethio-jazz. The covers of the Jimmy Cliff/Johnny Nash and Sly & The Family Stone classics 'I Can See Clearly' and 'If You Want Me To Stay' are also very contagious.