HR

HR
CHARGE (1990)
320 KBPS

Considering the way that HR with the Bad Brains could go from scorching thrash to deep, DEEP dub reggae, I thought that his solo stuff would be nothing but phenomenal--not that I was expecting him to Brains stuff without Brains (which I despise in solo efforts), but I figured him for being able to do something deep and spiritual and creative.
But I wasn't that crazy about the first ventures. Human Rights and such projects seemed rather stilted and inconsistent. But this particular disc made it pretty clear that the previous efforts were just the equivalents to sticking his toes into the galactic river, because _Charge_ has a lot of great stuff on it, all directed forward in what feels like a very unified vision.
It is unfortunate, as another reviewer has pointed out, that HR's solo work may go underappreciated because it doesn't fit easily into either realm of the dichotomy of what some may think are Bad Brains fans (too slow for punkers, too fast for rastamen), but HR and Know and Daryl and Earl made it very clear from the start of the Brains era that they wanted to redefine musical borders. Moreso, they wanted to forget about borders altogether and look more at the meaning of the music than its category--how else would you be able to call the Brains a gospel group?
For HR, clearly the music is about its meaning rather than its label. Maybe a little more easily categorizable as reggae than some other efforts, _Charge_ is full of the strongest stuff of reggae--anger, outrage, a cry for justice, all over a danceable rhythm. From "Rasta" to "Just Because I'm Poor" to "Selassie Fee," HR makes spirituality and the right fight just another natural part of the universe. The reggae is a little harder than what you have on "I Love I Jah", and thrash this isn't, but HR has something to teach ALL of you about Jah and about music, so listen.

1. Rasta
2. Shame In Dem Game
3. Just Because I'm Poor
4. While You Were Sleeping
5. Dancing Souls
6. Charge
7. Selassie Fee
8. Saddest Day
9. Let Luv Lead (The Way)
10. It's Reggae