THE FROGS
Racially Yours (4 Alarm)
Reviewed by Holly Day

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It's hard to tell what to think of this. Release of this record was put off for years because various record companies were offended by it, leading to this huge hype build-up surrounded when it was actually going to come out. Like so many other Frogs albums, it's a concept record-this time, the concept is a bunch of songs about the Black experience, which is a touchy thing for two white guys from the Midwest to muck with in the first place. Despite what you and their former labels might think, however, the Frogs manage to make this more offensive to "white" people than "black" people, by directing much rage towards the former-and all its government, religious, and social establishments--because of various injustices done to the latter. The songs are sensitively rendered and performed-on top of that, this is by far the most musical Frogs album yet, with trumpet samples and dreamy synth riffs. I'm probably not getting it, because that happens a lot, but I think this record actually makes for some valuable social commentary.

© 2001 - Holly Day