Living Colour

It’s been eight years since black-rock pioneers Living Colour decided to break things up. Sad to say, for many they were one of the best things to come out of the 80’s aside from the machine that helped make their pristine musicianship accessible – MTV.

With guitar virtuoso Vernon Reid on board, how could anything possibly go wrong? Lucky for chief shriller Corey Glover, bass man Doug Wimbish, and drummer William Calhoun, there's no sign of clear and present danger. Collideoscope leaves off where Living Colour's prior release, 1993’s Stain left us alone to hang in a pile of grunge and the birth of Alternative Nation.

This ten year in the making affair treats us with "A of When," a riveting rap meets metal assault, reminding us the Glover’s voice is still as distinguishing as when he hollered about "Ghandi and Kennedy" fifteen years ago in the landmark hit "Cult of Personality." Reid continues to mold the six-string into a sandbox of experimentation , as every song pours with inventive leads. "Flying" drifts over funk flavored mellow grooves that echo like one of Faith No More’s adventurous ballads. It’s of course not a Living Colour album without a rush of political angst, and "In Your Name," does the job, catapulting with firearm sound effects against the right wing. " Lost Halo" sounds quite 1990, with its arena rock triumphs, but with the recent rap-metal pretenders that have invaded our mainstream consciousness, Living Colour has never been so welcome. Even their funky cover of AC/DC’s " Back in Black" is overly predictable, yet preferably inviting. Fred Durst please leave the radio, Living Colour, the real deal, is back.

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