Time’s Up

I was cautiously optimistic for this one, I liked Vivid (the Living Colour album from the main list), it had nice hooks and grooves, and I thought the guitarist put in an insane performance. That said, did Living Colour really need two albums?

Tine's Up - both the album and the title track which is the first song - starts by picking up exactly where Vivid left off, groovy funk metal, this time with a little environmental message. At this point I thought the album was just going to tread old ground, but next two songs History Lesson and Pride showcases exactly what separates this album from Vivid, which is that this album is significantly more political and conscious of black civil rights, and very unashamedly so.

The further you get into the album, the more it strays from Living Colour's established funk metal formula and shows that this album is more experimental than what they were doing on the previous release. The last few songs go completely off the rails with a jazz song, a beatbox/rap song, a traditional African/Caribbean song, and then the final song which sound exactly like Tool, to a point where I wonder if they based their entire sound off of it.

Another difference with this album is that the album clocks in at just under an hour, which is significantly longer than their debut. With the length and the mash of genres it does start to feel like a bit of a sprawling mess, but I think from the perspective of the band this was a feature rather than a bug.

Unfortunately as the score reflects, I don't like Time's Up as much as Vivid. With the consciousness and more adventurous music the band has sacrificed a lot of the hooks that made Vivid such a fun romp. Also my excitement at hearing more from the guitarist doesn't seem to have been reciprocated by the band, he sounds far more restrained compared to the freedom he had on the debut. He still has his moments but I think he's the band's secret sauce and should be front and centre.

I find this album to be a lot more interesting than Vivid was, and I'm glad I listened to it, but I find that album to be a much more enjoyable listening experience. I can see why someone would prefer Time's Up, but it's not for me.

Should it be on the main list: No, but I think you could make a case for it.

Top 3 songs: Pride, Type, This is the Life

This was a nice enough addition, but I admittedly didn't hear much here that wasn't already covered by their prior album within the main list. Still, certainly not bad.

A great album by a hugely underrated band - but falls just short of full marks

Favorite songs: Information Overload, Pride, New Jack Theme

Least favorite songs: History Lesson, Under Cover of Darkness

3/5

Love these guys so much. 80s (90s) rock it's OK to like.

Most 90s rock is a chore for me, so I was really impressed with this one. Casting a really wide net of influence, really reminds me of that Fishbone album from the main list