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Album Review
by SashaS
19-10-2001
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| A Bluntsville resident |
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Afroman: 'The Good Times'
(Universal)
Afroman sprays feelgood over rappinghood with its manly themes
Afroman sits perched atop the singles chart with ‘Because I Got High’, a good-vibe music with its cautionary tale. (Good message for kids but they’ll do what every generation does, make their own mistakes.) Still, there is the ‘Parental Warning’ sticker as if that isn’t just an additional magnet? Anyway, ‘The Good Life’ is about good times where women have one role only, the bedroom duty… or wherever you prefer it, I’m not judgemental.
This is an album that truly is a boy-record with its themes of blunts, pussy, copulating, posse, a bit of politics, partying, cars and cops… Imagine a sonic equivalent to the male-‘Bridget Jones’, all the things that matter in man’s life with very little time for considering sentiments as, we all know, men can’t handle emotions and commit to long-term relationships.
Happy-funky is ‘Tumbleweeds, ‘Let’s All Get Drunk’ is hook-catchy party-, self-promotion goes on ‘Tall Cans’, although there are exceptions, such as ‘Hush’ with its spirituality… More socially aware subject is broached on ‘Palmdale’ (Afroman grew up in East Palmdale) while ‘Mississippi’ appears to be populated with myriad characters and brimming with intercutting scenes of urbanity and fiction.
‘The American Dream’ is criticising the biggest American myth that is unattainable for so many millions of deprived citizens. It is serious in a wacky way, dissing through entertainment, a very strong and heartfelt rap. Although Afroman announces it as the “Final speech”, tagging reprise of ‘High’ as an uncredited bonus could certainly have undermined ‘The American Dream’ message but Afroman took care of it at its concluding part by producing some onomatopoeic noises.
This music is as warm as the Californian sun; Afroman is a Los Angelino named Joseph Foreman who moved out of the City-of-lost-hopes to Hattiesburg, Mississippi because he was disillusioned with his hometown’s negativity. He self-released debut album ‘Sell Your Dope’ before the relocation, now followed by ‘The Good Times’. Recorded in three weeks, Afroman took care of all vocals, instruments and co-produced it, a happy creative situation, obviously.
Afroman’s fortune is favoured by luck currently and it is fun to share it with him, in measured dozes. Probably the funniest and the most feelgood album of the year but you can have enough of good time despite of Mae West’s stipulation. The jollity carries on a bit the same way a melancholy band gets you stuck in a repetitious emo-mode. Nothing is ever simply at the either extreme, life is a tragi-comedy with all shades of grey obstacles.
7/10
SashaS
19-10-2001
Afroman's 'The Good Times' album is available now on T-Bones Records/Universal
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