Bad Brains - Build a Nation
Reviewed by mike
Over the last decade Bad Brains has become something of a typical Hollywood romance: on-and-off and divided over power and the direction. With the release of Build a Nation, it appears the seminal hardcore/reggae band has come to a compromise: split time between their patented razor-sharp punk and Burning Spear-ish reggae. The tighter-than-a-helix reggae is clearly where Bad Brains now shines, as H.R.’s vocals have undergone years of abuse and get buried beneath Dr. Know’s mind-bending fretwork on the harder tracks, but rest comfortably chanting Rastafarian-induced dub. They literally sound like two different bands; one with an energetic cause and the other holding on a bit too long. [www.badbrains.com]