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album reviews

A Tribe Called Quest



People's Instinctive Travels And The Paths Of Rhythm 8 ( 1990 )
Push It Along / Luck of Lucien / After Hours / Footprints / I Left My Wallet in El Segundo / Public Enemy / Bonita Applebum / Can I Kick It? / Youthful Expression / Rhythm (Devoted to the Art of Moving Butts) / Mr. Muhammad / Ham 'n' Eggs / Go Ahead in the Rain / Description of a Fool

The follow-up to De La Soul's 'Three Feet High And Rising' that never was. 'A Tribe Called Quest' filled a gap in the market as De La Soul got all serious on us. Well, there isn't the same level of playfullness here either as 'Three Feet High', yet there's a smooth, sensuous and funky jazzy groove instead. It sounds like a high-brow rap album, one you could play at dinner parties yet still get down to later on your own when you're going out on a Friday night. It's classy, what can I say? It received largely good critical receptions upon release, yet there were one or two dissenters. Rolling Stone famously called it 'one of the least danceable rap albums ever' and 'boring'. It met with only cult commercial success and these days can perhaps seen to have been merely ahead of its time. So much so, it still sounds 'current' even today. It truly has a timeless appeal which is so rare in rap/hip-hop circles. A whole host of samples of soul and funk / jazz music features, tiny grooves or guitar/bass lines. Well, with a few exceptions. Minor hit 'Can I Kick It' is built entirely around the 'Walk On The Wildside' bass-line but the song is different enough with the rapping and all to not deserve to be called gratuitous. I'd give the album a nine by the way but the second half of the album doesn't really build upon the first half. A couple of the very best tunes are on the first half of the album anyway, the opener 'Push It Along' and 'Footprints'. 'Push It Along' is nearly eight minutes long. It builds upon a heavy bass drum, a soul music guitar phrase and ultra smooth rapping from Q-Tip. 'Footprints' sports absolutely superbly smooth rapping atop a soul groove. It's all good.

The last couple of tracks on the album do up the tempo slightly. The final tune is the hardest hitting and most 'tradditional' sounding rap tune here. 'Go Ahead In The Rain' is funky as all hell, several things going on, more superior rapping on display. We could have done with more tracks like these on 'side two' and more tracks like the greatly hilarious and fun 'Ham And Eggs'. Playfulness and humour go a long way in rap music, but I guess too many tracks like this would spoil the smooth flow of the album overall. It's a very solid album and not the only fine album 'A Tribe Like Quest' would make. .

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Readers Comments Jon Queens, New York People's Instinctive is somewhat simple and boring. The lyrics and delivery from both Tip and Phife are nothing to write about. Other than "Bonita Applebum" and "Can I Kick It?" you should really skip this record. Move on to "The Low End Theory" one of the greatest albums in music history. "Midnight Marauders" is pretty good too.