Living Colour | ||
| Allmusic Biography : During the 1980s, rock had become increasingly segregated and predictable, a departure from the late 60s and early 70s, when such musically and ethnically diverse artists as Jimi Hendrix, Sly & the Family Stone, and Santana topped the charts. But New Yorks Living Colour was one band that helped break down the doors by the end of the 80s, leading to a much more open-minded musical landscape that would help pave the way for future bands such as Rage Against the Machine and Sevendust. The group (singer Corey Glover, guitarist Vernon Reid, bassist Muzz Skillings, and drummer Will Calhoun) first formed in the mid-80s, with Reid being the only member with real prior band experience; he was a member of Ronald Shannon Jacksons experimental jazz outfit, and had recorded with Defunkt and Public Enemy, as well as issuing a solo album with Bill Frisell, 1984s Smash & Scatteration. It took the fledgling band a few years for their sound to gel, as they honed their act at N.Y.C.s famed CBGBs. The group found an unlikely supporter in Mick Jagger, who took the band under his wing, produced a demo for them, and helped them secure a record deal with Epic (just prior, Glover had to take a brief leave of absence from the band, as he landed a role in Oliver Stones Vietnam War epic Platoon). Living Colours debut album, Vivid, was issued in the summer of 1988, but it took a few months for momentum to build. By the winter, the bands striking video for their anthem "Cult of Personality" was all over MTV, pushing Vivid to the upper reaches of the charts and to platinum certification. Living Colour also took home their first of several Grammy Awards, as "Cult" won Best Hard Rock Performance at the 1989 ceremony, and the band supported the release with a string of dates that autumn, opening for the Rolling Stones first U.S. tour in eight years. Starting with Vivid and continuing on future albums, the band showed that rock could still convey a message (as evidenced by such tracks as "Open Letter to a Landlord" and "Funny Vibe," among others). The quartet regrouped a year later for their sophomore effort, Times Up, an album that performed respectably on the charts but failed to live up to the expectations of their smash debut. An appearance at the inaugural Lollapalooza tour in the summer of 1991 kept the group in the publics eye, as did an EP of outtakes, Biscuits. Skillings left the group shortly thereafter (replaced by studio vet Doug Wimbish), and their darkest and most challenging release yet, Stain, was issued in 1993. Although it failed to sell as well as its predecessors, it retained the bands large and dedicated following, as Living Colour appeared to be entering an interesting and groundbreaking new musical phase in their career. The band began writing the following year for what would be their fourth full-length, but an inability to settle on a single musical direction caused friction between the members, leading to Living Colours demise in early 1995. In the wake of Living Colours split, all of its former members pursued other projects. Reid issued a solo album, 1996s Mistaken Identity (as well as guesting on other artists recordings), while Glover attempted to launch a career as a solo artist, issuing the overlooked Hymns in 1998, appearing as a VJ on VH1, and acting in the 1996 movie Loose Women. Calhoun and Wimbish remained together and launched a new outfit, the drumnbass-inspired Jungle Funk, who issued a self-titled debut release in 1997 (Wimbish also issued a solo album, Trippy Notes for Bass, in 1999). With Living Colour out of commission for several years by the early 21st century, Calhoun and Wimbish teamed up once more with Glover in a new outfit, Headfake, playing often in the New York City area. A few days before Christmas in 2000, Headfake played a show at CBGBs and were joined on-stage by Reid, which led to rumors of an impending Living Colour reunion. The rumors proved to be true, and Living Colour launched their first tour together in six years during the summer of 2001. In 2003, Living Colour secured a deal with Sanctuary and released their most experimental release to date, Collideøscope. Two years later, the rarities collection Whats Your Favorite Color? was released, followed by Everything Is Possible: The Very Best of Living Colour in 2006. The all-new The Chair in the Doorway followed in 2009, the result of a new label deal with Megaforce. Busy with their respective families, the band maintained a relatively low profile over the next few years, finally reconvening in 2014 to begin work on some new musical ideas. Recorded sporadically over two years with pop/R&B; vet Andre Betts, their "blues-inspired" sixth album, Shade, was eventually released in 2017, preceded by the lurching, aggressive single "Come On." | ||
 | Album: 1 of 18 Title: Cult of Personality Released: 1988 Tracks: 3 Duration: 11:16 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify AlbumCover | 1 Cult Of Personailty (04:53) 2 Open Letter (To A Landlord) (Live) (02:27) 3 Middle Man (Live) (03:56) |
 | Album: 2 of 18 Title: Vivid Released: 1988-09-18 Tracks: 11 Duration: 49:11 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Cult of Personality (04:54) 2 I Want to Know (04:24) 3 Middle Man (03:47) 4 Desperate People (05:36) 5 Open Letter (To a Landlord) (05:31) 6 Funny Vibe (04:20) 7 Memories Can’t Wait (04:30) 8 Broken Hearts (04:50) 9 Glamour Boys (03:39) 10 What’s Your Favorite Color? (Theme Song) (03:56) 11 Which Way to America? (03:41) |
| Vivid : Allmusic album Review : In 1988, few heavy metal bands were comprised of all black members, and fewer had the talent or know-how to inject different musical forms into their hard rock sound (funk, punk, alternative, jazz, soul, rap) -- but N.Y.C.s Living Colour proved to be an exception. Unlike nearly all of the eras metal bands, the groups music has held up over time, thanks to its originality and execution. Living Colour leader/guitarist Vernon Reid spent years honing his six-string chops, and was one of the most respected guitarists in New Yorks underground scene. He couldnt have done a better job selecting members for his new rock band -- singer Corey Glover, bassist Muzz Skillings, and drummer Will Calhoun -- as their now-classic debut, Vivid, proves. Though the album was released in mid-1988, it picked up steam slowly, exploding at the years end with the hit single/MTV anthem "Cult of Personality," which merged an instantly recognizable Reid guitar riff and lyrics that explored the dark side of world leaders past and present (and remains LCs best-known song). The album was also incredibly consistent, as proven by the rocker "Middle Man" (which contains lyrics from a note penned by Glover, in which he pondered suicide), the funky, anti-racist "Funny Vibe," the touching "Open Letter (To a Landlord)," plus the Caribbean rock of "Glamour Boys." Add to it an inspired reading of Talking Heads "Memories Cant Wait," the Zeppelin-esque "Desperate People," and two complex love songs ("I Want to Know" and "Broken Hearts"), and you have one of the finest hard rock albums of the 80s -- and for that matter, all time. | ||
 | Album: 3 of 18 Title: Time’s Up Released: 1990-08 Tracks: 15 Duration: 57:44 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Time’s Up (03:06) 2 History Lesson (00:52) 3 Pride (04:55) 4 Love Rears Its Ugly Head (04:19) 5 New Jack Theme (03:30) 6 Someone Like You (03:49) 7 Elvis Is Dead (03:50) 8 Type (06:26) 9 Information Overload (06:11) 10 Under Cover of Darkness (04:17) 11 Ology (01:07) 12 Fight the Fight (04:33) 13 Tag Team Partners (00:48) 14 Solace of You (03:37) 15 This Is the Life (06:22) |
| Time’s Up : Allmusic album Review : Although Living Colours second album, Times Up, achieved gold certification shortly after its release and eventually won a Grammy award, it performed below expectations when compared to their debut, Vivid. Its not that it wasnt a strong album; in fact, in a lot of ways, its just as good as its predecessor, but instead of merely copying a winning formula, Times Up challenged the listener more -- both musically and lyrically. A host of guest artists lent their hands to the proceedings, such as Little Richard, Queen Latifah, Maceo Parker, and Doug E. Fresh, which hints at just how all-encompassing Times Up is. The few fans that were hoping that the band would streamline their sound and focus on their more pop-oriented material were bludgeoned with the hyperactive thrash title track (comparable to one of LCs biggest influences, Bad Brains). Other tracks, such as the jazz-rocker "Elvis Is Dead," the Zep-stomp of "Pride," and the gloriously pessimistic "Type" showed that success hadnt dulled the groups socially conscious attack. While heavy compositions were plentiful ("New Jack Theme," "Information Overload"), the bands more reflective side was evident by such outstanding tracks as "Fight the Fight," "Solace of You," and "This Is the Life," plus the love-torn ditty "Love Rears Its Ugly Head." Times Up remains a convincing listen all these years later. | ||
 | Album: 4 of 18 Title: Biscuits Released: 1991-09-01 Tracks: 6 Duration: 30:22 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Talkin Loud and Sayin Nothing (04:02) 2 Desperate People (live) (05:34) 3 Love and Happiness (05:07) 4 Memories Cant Wait (live) (05:06) 5 Burning of the Midnight Lamp (05:29) 6 Money Talks (05:02) |
 | Album: 5 of 18 Title: Stain Released: 1993-02-22 Tracks: 13 Duration: 44:56 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Go Away (04:03) 2 Ignorance Is Bliss (03:17) 3 Leave It Alone (03:28) 4 Bi (04:46) 5 Mind Your Own Business (03:17) 6 Ausländer (02:38) 7 Never Satisfied (04:05) 8 Nothingness (03:30) 9 Postman (03:31) 10 WTFF (02:15) 11 This Little Pig (03:03) 12 Hemp (01:35) 13 Wall (05:24) |
| Stain : Allmusic album Review : After wrapping up their stint with Lollapalooza 91, Living Colour took some time off to decide what to do next. Shortly after, bassist Muzz Skillings and the rest of the band decided to part company and was replaced by session ace Doug Wimbish (whose credits included work with Jeff Beck, Madonna, Mick Jagger, etc.). Produced by Ron "Bad Brains" St. Germain, Living Colours Stain showed the bands darker side even more, as samples were now added to the sonic mix. The tracks were more focused and streamlined when compared to the all-encompassing compositions on 1990s Times Up, but were just as hard-hitting and thought provoking. The pessimistic viewpoint evidenced in such past tracks as "Type" can be found again in such tracks as "Go Away," "Ignorance Is Bliss," and "Never Satisfied," while "Postman" pulls no punches in its depiction of a deranged killer. The explosive "Auslander" was one of the albums best tracks, as was the melodic rocker "Leave It Alone" and the superb ballad "Nothingness," which deserved to be a hit. Although some of the songs miss the mark ("Bi," "This Little Pig," etc.), Stain was another engaging release from Living Colour. Although the album made the Top 40 and just missed going gold, the group would disband a year after the ensuing tour (citing "musical differences"). | ||
 | Album: 6 of 18 Title: Pride Released: 1995 Tracks: 17 Duration: 1:15:50 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Pride (04:56) 2 Release the Pressure (04:15) 3 Sacred Ground (03:47) 4 Visions (04:35) 5 Love Rears Its Ugly Head (Soulpower re‐mix) (06:13) 6 These Are Happy Times (05:27) 7 Memories Can’t Wait (live) (05:05) 8 Cult of Personality (04:54) 9 Funny Vibe (03:53) 10 WTFF (02:04) 11 Glamour Boys (03:40) 12 Open Letter (to a Landlord) (05:32) 13 Solace of You (03:37) 14 Nothingness (03:30) 15 Type (06:26) 16 Time’s Up (03:07) 17 What’s Your Favorite Color? (Theme Song) (04:43) |
| Pride : Allmusic album Review : The same year that Living Colour announced its breakup, Epic issued a 17-track greatest-hits collection, Pride. As the collection proves, the band was ahead of their time and extremely influential -- they were combining musical forms such as heavy metal and funk/rap/soul years before the musical form was commonplace (circa late 90s). But unlike the bands of the late 90s, Living Colour actually had thought-provoking messages in their music -- racism, crooked landlords, the immortalization of celebrities/world leaders, etc. -- as well as being superb musicians/songwriters. The best known of the bunch -- "Cult of Personality," "Glamour Boys," "Funny Vibe," and "Type" -- are obvious standouts, but the lesser known are just as strong. Living Colour was always about creating consistent albums from beginning to end, as such selections as the title track, "Times Up," "Nothingness," "Solace of You," and "Open Letter (To a Landlord)" prove. Add to it several previously unreleased outtakes -- "Release the Pressure," "Sacred Ground," "Visions," and a remix of "Love Rears Its Ugly Head" -- and you have a near-definitive Living Colour collection that will appeal to both longtime fans and newcomers. | ||
 | Album: 7 of 18 Title: Play It Loud! Released: 1998 Tracks: 10 Duration: 41:48 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Cult of Personality (04:54) 2 Leave It Alone (03:28) 3 Burning of the Midnight Lamp (05:30) 4 New Jack Theme (03:31) 5 Middle Man (03:47) 6 Glamour Boys (03:39) 7 Go Away (04:02) 8 Money Talks (05:01) 9 Talkin Loud and Sayin Nothing (04:02) 10 Elvis Is Dead (03:49) |
 | Album: 8 of 18 Title: Super Hits Released: 1998-01 Tracks: 10 Duration: 48:23 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Whats Your Favorite Colour? (Theme Song) (03:56) 2 Pride (04:54) 3 Cult of Personality (04:54) 4 Elvis Is Dead (03:49) 5 Type (06:26) 6 Glamour Boys (03:39) 7 Open Letter to a Landlord (05:31) 8 Nothingness (03:30) 9 Information Overload (06:09) 10 Burning of the Midnight Lamp (05:29) |
| Super Hits : Allmusic album Review : The budget-priced Super Hits actually contains most of Living Colours hard rock crossover hits, including "Whats Your Favorite Color?," "Cult of Personality," "Glamour Boys," "Type," "Open Letter (To a Landlord)" and "Pride." The only major songs missing are "Funny Vibe" and "Love Rears Its Ugly Head," which makes the disc a bargain for casual fans looking for a handful of hits on one disc. | ||
 | Album: 9 of 18 Title: Collideøscope Released: 2003-10-06 Tracks: 15 Duration: 1:00:37 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify AlbumCover | 1 Song Without Sin (04:08) 2 A ? of When (03:49) 3 Operation: Mind Control (03:09) 4 Flying (04:24) 5 In Your Name (04:23) 6 Back in Black (04:24) 7 Nightmare City (04:05) 8 Lost Halo (04:20) 9 Holy Roller (04:26) 10 Great Expectations (03:37) 11 Choices Mash Up (05:07) 12 Pocket of Tears (04:42) 13 Sacred Ground (04:11) 14 Tomorrow Never Knows (04:11) 15 Nova (01:35) |
 | Album: 10 of 18 Title: Back In Colour Released: 2004 Tracks: 17 Duration: 1:19:05 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Back In Black (04:25) 2 Pride (04:56) 3 Pocket Of Tear (04:43) 4 Memories Cant Wait (05:06) 5 Times Up (03:07) 6 Type (06:27) 7 These Are Happy Times (05:28) 8 Love Rears Its Ugly Head (06:14) 9 Glamour Boys (03:40) 10 Whats Your Favorite Color (04:42) 11 Open Letter To A Landlord (05:32) 12 Solace Of You (03:36) 13 Nothingness (03:30) 14 Visions (04:36) 15 Release The Pressure (04:15) 16 Cult Of Personality (04:54) 17 Funny Vibe (03:54) |
 | Album: 11 of 18 Title: Live From CBGBs Released: 2004-10-19 Tracks: 13 Duration: 1:07:04 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Cult of Personality (05:35) 2 Pride (04:57) 3 Someone Like You (03:59) 4 Fight the Fight (05:21) 5 Funny Vibe (04:38) 6 Sailin On (02:11) 7 Information Overload (06:14) 8 Love Rears Its Ugly Head (04:14) 9 Soldiers Blues (06:43) 10 Open Letter to a Landlord (07:16) 11 Solace of You (04:17) 12 Middle Man (03:47) 13 Little Lies (07:46) |
 | Album: 12 of 18 Title: Whats Your Favorite Color?: Remixes, B-Sides & Rarities Released: 2005-04-05 Tracks: 10 Duration: 50:15 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Auslander (Overload mix) (07:24) 2 Sunshine of Your Love (The Adrian Sherwood & Skip McDonald remix) (05:48) 3 Love Rears Its Ugly Head (Hip Hop mix) (05:09) 4 Whats Your Favorite Color? (Living Colour) (Leblanc Remix) (05:41) 5 Love and Happiness (05:08) 6 Nothingness (acoustic) (03:27) 7 Leave It Alone (acoustic) (03:00) 8 Solace of You (acoustic) (03:40) 9 Cult of Personality (live) (04:54) 10 Talkin Bout a Revolution (live) (06:00) |
| What's Your Favorite Color?: Remixes, B-Sides & Rarities : Allmusic album Review : Living Colour completists will already have most or all of the material on Whats Your Favorite Color? (Remixes, B-Sides & Rarities) -- none of it is previously unreleased or even particularly rare, and its not comprehensive. The comp however does offer a capable survey of odds n ends material from the era spanning the bands first three studio albums (roughly 1988-1994). A lengthy remix of the Stain highlight "Ausländer" starts things out, followed by two more mixes. A live recording of "Cult of Personality" from 1989 as well as a remix of "Whats Your Favorite Color?" were both added to the 2002 reissue of Vivid; and acoustic takes on "Nothingness" and "Leave It Alone" are from a 1993 Holland date thats also previously available. The Al Green cover, "Love and Happiness," was part of Living Colours 1991 EP Biscuits. A pretty acoustic version of "Solace of You" is Whats Your Favorite Color?s best moment. | ||
 | Album: 13 of 18 Title: Everything Is Possible: The Very Best of Living Colour Released: 2006-01-17 Tracks: 17 Duration: 1:16:32 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Cult of Personality (04:54) 2 Open Letter (To a Landlord) (05:31) 3 Funny Vibe (04:20) 4 Glamour Boys (03:39) 5 Middle Man (03:47) 6 Memories Can’t Wait (04:30) 7 Elvis Is Dead (03:50) 8 Type (06:27) 9 Solace of You (03:35) 10 Pride (04:56) 11 Times Up (03:05) 12 Go Away (04:02) 13 Nothingness (03:30) 14 Burning of the Midnight Lamp (05:29) 15 Sunshine of Your Love (05:16) 16 Flying (04:24) 17 Love Rears Its Ugly Head (Soulpower Hip Hop remix) (05:09) |
| Everything Is Possible: The Very Best of Living Colour : Allmusic album Review : Eleven years after Living Colour released its post-breakup compilation Pride and three years after their reunion album Collideøscope, Epic/Legacy released the career-spanning collection Everything Is Possible: The Very Best of Living Colour. Since Living Colour had a career that burned like a supernova -- bright and intense at its beginning in 1988, but by 1993, they had imploded -- theyre an ideal band for a compilation, and Everything Is Possible is indeed an excellent history of the band, drawing heavily from 1988s Vivid and its 1990 follow-up, Times Up, while treating 1993s Stain as a footnote and sampling from the reunion record. As such, this is a lively portrait of the band at its peak, containing nearly all of the MTV and album rock radio hits (Stains "Leave It Alone" is missing, but its not noticeable), plus a healthy representation of the best album tracks. That almost all of these are culled from Vivid (over half the album is here) and Times Up (just under half the album, if the "Soulpower Hip Hop Remix" of "Love Rears Its Ugly Head" is counted) is, again, no surprise: not only did the band turned dank and gloomy for Stain, but their neon-colored fiercely multi-cultural hard rock was in full force for those two albums. Truth be told, it even showed signs of exhausting itself on Times Up, something that Everything Is Possible obscures even if it cant completely hide it: by that point, the politics, genre-hopping, celebrity cameos, and PC social consciousness were dampening the freshness of Vivid, which itself suffered from being overly earnest and as self-consciously complicated as the stop-start riff to their biggest hit, "Cult of Personality." Nevertheless, over the course of those two albums Living Colour produced some bright, ambitious hard rock that crystallized a lot of the ideas and trends of the late 80s and early 90s, and nowhere is that better heard than on this compilation, which captures a band that was and remains as interesting to theorize about as it is to listen to. | ||
 | Album: 14 of 18 Title: The Paris Concert Released: 2009 Tracks: 17 Duration: 1:38:04 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Type (06:12) 2 Middle Man (03:46) 3 Funny Vibe (04:35) 4 Song Without Sin (04:00) 5 Nova / Wall (06:15) 6 Sacred Ground (12:24) 7 Memories Cant Wait (07:15) 8 Papa Was a Rolling Stone (02:25) 9 Glamour Boys (04:10) 10 Crosstown Traffic (04:44) 1 Go Away (04:25) 2 Either Way (06:49) 3 Ignorance Is Bliss (03:34) 4 [Drum Solo] (06:10) 5 Flying (12:07) 6 Love Rears Its Ugly Head (03:59) 7 Cult of Personality (05:05) |
| The Paris Concert : Allmusic album Review : As of 2009, Living Colour has released a total of five live albums -- which is pretty unheard of for a rock band, unless youre the Grateful Dead. However, 2009s Paris Concert is arguably the best Living Colour live release yet. Recorded in the summer of 2007, the double-disc CD was also released as a DVD that replicates the set list song for song, and balances the hits ("Glamour Boys," "Cult of Personality") with covers ("Papa Was a Rolling Stone," "Crosstown Traffic"), album cuts ("Go Away," "Song Without Sin"), and head-scratchers (the Doug Wimbish-sung "Either Way"). The band sounds as rockin, funky, and unpredictable as ever -- offering a pretty well-balanced set of renditions of songs from all four of their studio albums -- with a slightly heavier emphasis on Vivid. That said, a pair of over-12-minute songs ("Sacred Ground" and "Flying"), and an over-six-minute unaccompanied drum solo take up too much space, and as a result, such expected tracks as "Times Up" get the boot. But again, looking at the big picture, Paris Concert will satisfy many Living Colour fans as the groups one-and-only live release in their album collection. | ||
 | Album: 15 of 18 Title: Playlist: The Very Best Of Living Colour Released: 2009-04-10 Tracks: 14 Duration: 1:00:15 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Type (06:27) 2 Bi (04:37) 3 Cult of Personality (04:54) 4 Me, Myself & My Microphone (03:03) 5 Pride (04:57) 6 Glamour Boys (03:40) 7 Auslander (02:38) 8 Open Letter (To a Landlord) (05:31) 9 Elvis Is Dead (03:50) 10 Leave It Alone (03:28) 11 Solace of You (03:35) 12 Love Rears Its Ugly Head (04:19) 13 Sunshine Of Your Love (05:14) 14 Talkin Loud And Sayin Nothing (04:02) |
 | Album: 16 of 18 Title: The Chair in the Doorway Released: 2009-09-15 Tracks: 13 Duration: 46:39 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Burned Bridges (03:39) 2 The Chair (02:10) 3 Decadance (03:25) 4 Young Man (02:53) 5 Method (04:22) 6 Behind the Sun (03:41) 7 Bless Those (Little Annies Prayer) (05:28) 8 Hard Times (02:49) 9 Thats What You Taught Me (03:59) 10 Out of My Mind (03:44) 11 Not Tomorrow (03:01) 12 4′33″ (04:33) 13 Asshole (02:51) |
| The Chair in the Doorway : Allmusic album Review : Signing with Megaforce indicates a lot of where Living Colour are at on 2009s The Chair in the Doorway, their first album since their 2004 comeback Collideøscope. Megaforce is known as a metal label and appropriately, Living Colour plays to this audience, getting so heavy theyre often dreary, riffs fighting to be heard out of the grinding psychedelic sludge. No matter the tempo, The Chair in the Doorway remains mired in this murk, crushing the sprightly blues of "Bless Those (Little Annies Prayer) under a chorus of thick, leaden guitar and bass, the same sounds that flatten any moment of subtly that tries to rear its head here. There is no denying that Living Colour wields some mighty muscle -- Will Calhoun and Doug Wimbish provide a locomotive force which Vernon Reid rides vigorously, adding dashes of color when he tears off solos -- but the limited palette and relentless attack wind up a little wearying, especially when married to brickwalled masters. | ||
 | Album: 17 of 18 Title: Who Shot Ya? Released: 2016-09-09 Tracks: 12 Duration: 00:00 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify AlbumCover | 1 Who Shot Ya? (?) 2 Regrets (?) 3 This Place Hotel (?) 4 Who Shot Ya? (Andre Betts remix) (?) 5 Who Shot Ya? (EDM remix) (?) 6 Who Shot Ya? (Adrian Sherwood and Matt Smyth remix) (?) 7 Who Shot Ya? (instrumental version) (?) 8 Regrets (instrumental version) (?) 9 This Place Hotel (instrumental version) (?) 10 Who Shot Ya? (Andre Betts remix) (instrumental version) (?) 11 Who Shot Ya? (EDM remix) (instrumental version) (?) 12 Who Shot Ya? (Adrian Sherwood and Matt Smyth remix) (dub) (?) |
 | Album: 18 of 18 Title: Shade Released: 2017-09-08 Tracks: 13 Duration: 48:30 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Freedom of Expression (F.O.X.) (02:54) 2 Preachin’ Blues (04:20) 3 Come On (03:22) 4 Program (04:43) 5 Who Shot Ya (03:38) 6 Always Wrong (04:04) 7 Blak Out (02:29) 8 Pattern in Time (02:56) 9 Who’s That (04:10) 10 Glass Teeth (02:59) 11 Invisible (03:44) 12 Inner City Blues (04:00) 13 Two Sides (05:11) |
| Shade : Allmusic album Review : Shade, the sixth studio album from Living Colour (and the first since 2009s The Chair in the Doorway), opens with an anthemic track full of Vernon Reids guitar heroics, Corey Glovers impassioned vocals, and a prominent sample from Malcolm X. No, its not "Cult of Personality," its called "Freedom of Expression (F.O.X.)," but in a world where African-American hard rock bands are still considered a novelty, you cant blame these guys for thinking not much has changed since their debut album, Vivid, dropped in 1988 -- or at least not as much as a reasonable man would hope. Arriving in 2017, Shade is a somewhat different animal than Living Colours early (and best-known) work, but there are more similarities than differences. The bands attack is harder and heavier than it was in the 80s, the sly humor that once leavened their albums is largely absent, and their production is more clearly informed by hip-hop in its use of samples and edits, though this is still a hard rock band first and foremost. Shade is also more steeped in the blues than most of Living Colours previous work, especially on "Whos That" and a fiery cover of Robert Johnsons "Preachin Blues." But the center of this music is still Vernon Reids guitar, and hes still a remarkable player, fusing the wail of hard rock, the cry of the blues, and the broad tonal palette of jazz into a musical flamethrower that puts most metal soloists to shame in terms of vision and impact. Glover, bassist Doug Wimbish, and drummer Will Calhoun have the strength and the imagination to keep up with Reid, and while they may take their sweet time between albums, when they come together the results remain taut and satisfying. If defiance and anger are the key operating emotions of many of these songs, thats probably to be expected in 2017, and the full-bodied cover of Marvin Gayes "Inner City Blues" only points to how many social ills of the 70s are still plaguing us today. But as Joe Strummer once told us, anger can be power, and the musical and emotional furor of Shade is a powerful and much-needed weapon in a chaotic time. | ||