Living Colour
Time's Up

THE REVIEW

It was 1990 and even though I wasn't there, I doubt this album sold much; I don't think it's bad, but the fact is that those three years from 1990 to early 1993 were a musical uproar, in the sense that all sorts of things happened.

I actually think this album didn't leave any mark, despite being developed and structured better than the previous "Vivid" from 1988 (while not being any better). The album was probably "overshadowed" by other musical trends that revolutionized the rock world. Living Colour recorded this album and released it at the end of 1990; too late... here comes the grunge ship with Nirvana's "Nevermind" and Pearl Jam's "Ten" (and many others...). Then it happens that after hard years of work, the Red Hot Chili Peppers manage to break through with their supreme "Blood Sugar Sex Magik" and the first sprinkles of rapcore success from Rage Against The Machine are already visible.

All these events kept Living Colour away from the success they had achieved with "Vivid" (although there was still a big hit). A group far too underrated, given that Corey Glover is endowed with a powerful voice and guitarist Vernon Reid handles himself very well. But the money obtained from success does not make an album a masterpiece and Living Colour are the living proof of this. With dedication and commitment, they have been able to produce remarkable albums without falling into the abyss of commercial music.

The album is in pure Crossover style, picking musical genres from here and there; on one hand a mix of Funk and Hard Rock with Heavy tones, on the other the typical passionate energy derived from blues. Despite a fading compared to the more vibrant "Vivid", the album still manages to satisfy in my opinion. While maintaining the standards of "Vivid", Living Colour inject a dose of progressive into their Crossover.
Improvisations, unusual and disconnected tempos recall the most sophisticated Prog of Emerson Lake & Palmer, Yes, and King Crimson (their favorite band) as in Type, a not bad track but lacking in bite. The most successful track is a piece balanced between Funk and Blues Rock; Love Rears Its Ugly Head, a meticulously crafted song, featuring trumpets in funk rhythm reminiscent of the early Red Hot Chili Peppers from "Freaky Stiley" (try it to believe it) and Hendrix-like guitar solos, culminating in a passionate chorus that highlights all of Corey Glover's vocal skills. Things start to get lively with Under Cover of Darkness, written entirely by Glover, still with a funk sound. In New Jack Theme there is a perception of a minimal care in the arrangements that continues also in Solace of You. A return to a mighty hard rock in their Cult of Personality is evident in Information Overload and in Pride, which also exploit a sound with a crossover imprint.

An album that certainly did not thrill, which suffers from its temporal placement, but that can be underrated; it's not a bad record at all, but there are better works even in the crossover and funk rock domain.