| Race (Indica, 1997) *GUEST REVIEW* Another genre-bending reggae-punk experiment, Toronto's Race had a short-lived taste of success with the hit "It Was You," a wonderfully catchy ska tune that was a Canadian radio hit for about a week before the group faded back into obscurity. If their entire debut album (possibly their only album...?) sounded like "It Was You," Race would be bona fide superstars at this point. Instead, the record is a middling attempt at combining reggae with punk rock and heavy metal, which, in many cases, ends up sounding like the terrible rap-rock that was popular around that time. "It Was You," however, is absolutely addictive and holds up to repeated listens, even a decade after its initial release. The only other song that comes close is "Idren," a dark, funky dancehall track that starts off promising but suffers, as many of these tracks do, from being too long for its own good, especially when there's only one verse that gets repeated over and over. Still, it's a sign that Race was going places with the reggae side of things...they just got sidetracked with the rock. "Love Ting" shows similar promise, but leans too much toward an experimental rock style to really stand out. Race is still worth a listen for "It Was You," though (which had a great video, by the way). If you can find this record in a discount bin (where it seems to have ended up all over Canada), you might get a bit of value for your money. - Sam Thompson |
| Track Listing 1. Boring Days 2. Look At Yourself 3. It Was You 4. Put Up Your Dukes 5. Korries Karma 6. Idren 7. Unify 8. Love Ting 9. Just a Bud 10. U-B the Baddest 11. Greenday 12. Blue Striped Devil 13. Livicated |
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