★★★★★
Arrested Development's new album 'Since The Last Time' keeps up the positive spirit for which the group have been known since their highly successful 1993 debut '3 years, 5 months and 2 days in the life of.'. Another 13 years on, the vibe will definitely be appreciated by many in a scene which all too often seems to celebrate the negative aspects of modern life...
- www.gigwise.com
2010-11-09
★★★★★
Hailing their return to the hip-hop scene gentlemen rappers Arrested Development keep the positive vibes flowing. Avoiding the usual 'bling, pimps and ho's' favoured by many modern day rappers, 'Since The Last Time' pays tribute doing it for the love of music.Not shy of hitting back at their rivals 'Miracles' sees them mix gospel choirs with sly digs at the 'dumb company' they find themselves in, declaring confidently 'We're from the old school this is real hip-hopping'...
- www.gigwise.com
2010-11-09
★★★★★
Arrested Development says it doesn't care about fame or fortune. Its members, who come from the sleepy rural South, talk both in person and in their music about the condition of black people and the betterment of the whole human race. Of course, none of that talk stopped the group from becoming the hottest rap sensation in years,selling 3 million copies of its first album, 1992's 3 Years, 5 Months and 2 Days in the Life Of.....
- ew.com
2010-08-27
★★★★★
You try to have heroes, to believe in the world ? you really do. Yougo to the taping of Arrested Development's MTV Unplugged segment, andit is that rare instance of a terrific live rap show ? one big, warm,communal good vibration. Then, they release it on record, and theresults are that close to a rip-off: A poor mix reduces everything to loud drumming plusmuffled backup rapping, and nearly half the album is instrumentalnoodlings by their backup band...
- ew.com
2010-08-27
★★★★★
Infected with murder, gangsters, homophobia and sexism, hip-hop has been a genre in serious trouble for the best part of a decade (though it did give rise to one of the finest Simpsons jokes, Marge to Bart: "I don't want you listening to those rappers, their music is insulting to their hoes"). With a few extraordinary exceptions such as The Roots, this music has been on a downward spiral since the early '90s when De La Soul brought a sense of humour and lightheartedness to proceedings...
- www.musicomh.com
2010-08-23
★★★★★
Arrested Development breezed on to the scene in 1992 and made the year their own with this, their super-confident debut. 3 Years, 5 Months and 2 Days In The Life Of... (the exact length of time it took for the group to get a recording contract) was one of those records that arrived fully-formed, making everything that had gone before in the world of hip-hop sound rather passé...
- www.bbc.co.uk
2010-08-22
★★★★★
Many of hip hop's greatest artists, especially from the 90's, are haunted by their great first albums. From "Illmatic" to "Only Built 4 Cuban Linx," rappers who create truly epic first albums are constantly expected to recreate that first moment of magic, and yet somehow expand from it. It's a test that few careers survive, and few still completely overcome. Even after thirteen years in the game, Nas' new releases are still compared to "Illmatic...
- rapreviews.com
2009-07-21
★★★★★
"Walk the roads my forefathers walked Climbed the trees my forefathers hung from Ask those trees for all their wisdom They tell me my ears are so young (home) Go back to, from whence you came (home) My family tree, my family name (home) For some strange reason it had to be (home) He guided me, to Tennessee"If those words ring a bell for you, then I don't need to tell you who Arrested Development was. If they don't, then you'll want to follow along closely as I explain...
- rapreviews.com
2009-07-21
★★★★★
No text for this review; see http://robertchristgau.com/xg/bk-cg90/grades-90s.php.
- www.robertchristgau.com
2009-07-10