LIVING COLOUR |
| Led by guitarist and chief composer
Vernon Reid (also a music critic and co-founder of the
Black Rock Coalition, a New York organization of
African-American bands), Living Colour promises more than
it delivers on Vivid. Because the quartet doesn't
match stupid preconceptions about the kind of music
people of color should and shouldn't play, the record
raised many a bigoted eyebrow. But such issues aside,
this is fairly routine hard-rock, loudly produced by Ed
Stasium. (Ironically, one of the LP's few funky moments
is contained in a version of Talking Heads'
"Memories Can't Wait.") But if Vivid is
lacking in the catchy tune/riff department, at least the
topical lyrics are substantial ("Cult of
Personality," "Open Letter (To a
Landlord)"), occasionally using ironic humor to make
a point ("No I'm not gonna rob/beat/rape you, so why
you want to give me that funny vibe?"). Reid's
guitar cuts loose just once (trŠs flash, though);
Mick Jagger's guest production of two tracks makes no
audible difference. With a two-million seller and a tour opening for the Stones behind them, Living Colour (again working with Stasium) made Time's Up from a position of considerable strength. When Reid vents his spleen on the coronation of Elvis Presley (in "Elvis Is Dead"), he can now get Little Richard in to add his thoughts on the subject. Ambitiously throwing jazzy designs into occasionally thrashy blitzkriegs, the guitarist has plenty of room to peal off dizzying riffs (but no way to avoid speedrock's usual hollowness). In addition, the album has a stronger Afrocentric consciousness than the first, most bluntly in "Pride" ("Don't ask me why I play this music/It's my culture, so naturally I use it"). But the band has more (or less) to say on Time's Up: the catchy "Type" offers terminology rather than philosophy, "New Jack Theme" is a nonjudgmental observation and the funky "Under Cover of Darkness" (written by singer Corey Glover) is personal, not political. |