Asian Dub Foundation - Community Music (FFRR)

Releasedate: Mon 20.March 2000

Public Enemy said "Don't believe the hype!", but you can believe the hype about 'Community Music'. ADF have unleashed the most focused polemic since er... PE themselves. Would any other artist write a track ('Officer XX') about the Stephen Lawrence murders? But it's not just what they talk about, it's how they express themselves, such as the line "There's a Blairful of Thatcher / Stuck on the 45" from the blistering 'Real Great Britain'.

There's a definite poetic feel about the lyrics, a feeling added to by the presence of political poet Benjamin Zephaniah on 'Riddim I Like' (even if it is just to say "Riddim I Like"). However ADF are in music, not politics. This is where on a couple of the tracks, namely spoken word ones like 'Truth Hides' and 'The Colour Line', they fall down. It's no coincidence that none of the disappointing tracks feature Master D's vocals. The tracks on which he appears are explosive cocktails of drum 'n' bass, bhangra, dub, punk and hip-hop, feeding off his frenetic rapping. Unfortunately when he is not involved (thankfully his presence can be felt in the majority of the songs) ADF seem like a different band, lacking in the energy and verve that makes them so appealing.

Definitely a contender for album of the year, but the contemporary nature of the lyrics, for example "Lock, stockbrokers, and two smoking barrels" on the economic rant 'Crash', may deprive 'Community Music' of lasting brilliance.

(9/10)

Review by James McClure, The Experiment