| Afroman - The Good Times |
|
|
| Music Disc Reviews Audio CD | ||||||||||||||||||
| Written by Dan MacIntosh | ||||||||||||||||||
| Tuesday, 28 August 2001 | ||||||||||||||||||
"Good Times" for Afroman revolve around such age-old vices, as wine (and reefer), women and song, and not J.J. and the rest of the gang from that old ‘70s sitcom. This is R-rated stuff, people. But Afroman’s sense of humor (expressed best on the single "Because I Got High") and his warm singing voice raise this part hip-hop/part soul singer’s work above being just junior high bathroom humor. While "She Won’t Let Me…" is nothing more than a tale about frustrated sex drive, and "Let’s All Get Drunk" is an unrestrained call to party hearty, a gospel song called "Hush" somehow sits uneasily between them. Featuring sweet group vocals and tender memories about Afroman’s childhood visits to relatives in Mississippi, "Hush" shows how this artist has more than just a naughty sense of humor going for him. Afroman is obviously buzzed a good deal of the time here, but not too out of it to be oblivious to what’s really going on around him. Near the close of the album, the songs "Palmdale" and "Mississippi" compare and contrast circumstances of the modern-day black man in two widely differing subcultures. In "Palmdale," Afroman feels out of place as he brings a little urban lifestyle to the suburbs. But in "Mississippi," he must deal with backwards ideals, years of social decay and the Klan. Neither locale provides ideal living conditions, but Afroman sings about trying to make the best of these less-than-perfect situations. The album closes with the slightly confusing "The American Dream." In it, Afroman lists various social misfits -- like single moms and ex-cons -- and then states that these troubled ones are still living the American Dream. But it’s hard to determine if Afroman is undermining this American Dream, or if he is sincerely giving these forgotten ones props. Sonically, this recording relies only upon the bare essentials. Afroman is a one-man band. His human voice is the instrument front and center here, is usually backed only by electronic bass and percussion. He may be little more than an urban soundtrack for High Times magazine now, but in his straighter moments, Afroman give hints that he has a great musical future ahead of him. Like this article? Bookmark and share with any of the sites below.        |
||||||||||||||||||
