Although they’re not back in the mix with a stack of hype to match, Bad Brains‘ first release in 12 years is…well, a bit of a letdown. Don’t get me wrong, ‘Build A Nation’ isn’t so much a bad record as one which just doesn’t reach expectations. And bearing in mind just how much of an influential band this lot have been over the years, I don’t think it’s wrong to expect a little bit more.
‘Build A Nation’ starts off in fine form as ‘Jah people’ chugs away and ‘Jah la Love’ sounds like the Brains of old. But that’s possibly because Beastie Boy Adam Yauch has opted to try and re-create the sound which made Bad Brains famous and at times the guitars rumble and reverberate around the speakers just like they did back in the mid-80s. But then at others HR’s incendary vocals just aren’t quite as explosive enough, almost getting lost in the mix. ‘Universal Peace’, for example, just comes across as a bit of a muddy puddle.
To re-iterate, this isn’t a bad record. Not even close. But I think when a band such as Bad Brains comes back after such a long time away it can be very easy to disappoint. Lifetime could have done it with their recent comeback, but somehow managed to deliver the goods despite high expectations. For me, this isn’t as good as it should be, leaving a slight feeling of disappointment.