The Vegas brothers veer ever so slowly to the funk/soul side of the street on this album. Which isn't a bad thing - in fact, it diversifies their sound, and makes Message From A Drum another stellar entry in their catalog. "The Witch Queen of New Orelans" became the hit song, with its' proto-disco string arrangments which really amplify the voodoo angle that it was going for, but "Niji Trance", "Emotions", and "Fate" are entries that more than hold their own. "When You Got Trouble" has serious WAR vibes as well.

This should have been Redbone's debut. A very effective, intense, highly energetic cross between rock, R&B, pop, and their unique Native American-meets-Cajun vibe. Right from the jump they hit you with "Maggie", a pulsating, lethal, dance-friendly track, but the centerpiece here is the twin-bill jam of "Judgement Day" followed by "Without Reservation". The hyper-intensity and social messaging might turn off some listeners, but there is some levity to be found as well, as the loony "Drinkin' and Blo" can attest to.

A rather underwhelming double album. The most notable attribute here are four lengthy jams which are laidback, and the material peppered in between straddles the line between rock and adult contemporary. Too much filler to justify aborsing this in one sitting.

I'm conflicted about this album, because there are some arguably great moments contained within, and equally amateur ones as well, and that's not a compliment. My best guess is overall they have pulled together a roughshod update of the classic formula which brought them success at the turn of the 90's. Even Professor Griff returns to the fold for a couple of tracks. It's easy to dismiss this as just another awful rehash attempt, but they are trying different things with varying results, and one thing that could always be said about Public Enemy is they were never afraid of change. Case in point - the epic, 12 minute "Superman's Black In The Building", which features a Dylan-like twangy guitar riff, booming beats straight out of the 80's, and Chuck D proselytizing like old times. Like the album overall, despite the ups and downs it's unexpected, a bit head-scratching, and ultimately you're better for the experience.

By 1994 the rap landscape had changed and Public Enemy's politically-charged style was seen as cumbersome compared to the fast glamor of gangsta rap, modern R&B, and the East/West feud. This did not stop them from pushing the envelope; to the contrary, this is their most progressive record post-Black Planet, featuring live drumming, chant vocals and field-type noises to replace the layers of sampling, with Flav and Chuck rapping at apoplectic levels. Admittedly, there is filler, as the group still has it in their heads to make these conceptual records with regular tracks surrounded by lots of interludes, but more than ever before the line between the two are blurred - a good example of this is the first half of the second side of the album. Additionally, they re-imagine a couple of older songs - The Chambers Brothers "Time Has Come Today" ("Race Against Time") and The Last Poets "White Man's Got A God Complex" ("Godd Complexx") - but make them sound like stone-cold P.E. originals. I completely recommend this to any listener and arguably, this is the last classic record the group released.