Victims (Steel Pulse album)

Victims
Studio album by
Steel Pulse
Released1991
RecordedThe Dub Factory & Central Studios, Birmingham, England
GenreReggae
Length63:25
LabelMCA[1]
ProducerSteel Pulse, Paul Horton, Peter Lord, V. Jeffrey Smith, Stephen Bray, Michael Verdick
Steel Pulse chronology
State of Emergency
(1988) 		Victims
(1991) 		Vex
(1994)

Victims is the eighth album by the band Steel Pulse, released in 1991.[2][3]

The album rose to the No. 6 spot on the Billboard Top World Music Albums chart. It was nominated for a Grammy in the Best Reggae Album category.[4] The band supported the album with a North American tour.[5]

Production

The album was produced by Steel Pulse, Paul Horton, Peter Lord, V. Jeffrey Smith, Stephen Bray, and Michael Verdick.[6] It was divided into "Westside" and "Eastside" halves.[7] Stevie Wonder played harmonica on "Can't Get You (Out of My System)".[8] "Taxi Driver" is about taxi drivers not stopping for Black customers.[9]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[10]

The Boston Globe noted that the album "contains searing raps against gang warfare, cultural imperialism and freebasing cocaine."[11] The Los Angeles Times called it "a quirkily inventive outing that manages to coalesce Caribbean, pop, hip-hop, rock, and funk elements while maintaining the integrity of its patented vocal harmonies."[12]

The St. Petersburg Times determined that "Steel Pulse has found a working formula for melding reggae roots with Club-MTV affectations."[13] The Ottawa Citizen opined that "pop and soul inflections dominate, often with reggae stuck in the back pocket."[14]

Track listing

  1. "Taxi Driver" – 3:40
  2. "Can't Get You (Out of My System)" – 4:06
  3. "Soul of My Soul" – 4:20
  4. "Grab a Girlfriend" – 4:07
  5. "Feel the Passion" – 4:12
  6. "Money" – 4:13
  7. "Victims" – 4:04
  8. "Gang Warfare" – 4:43
  9. "To Tutu" – 1:35
  10. "Free the Land" – 3:38
  11. "We Can Do It" – 4:01
  12. "Stay With the Rhythm" – 3:39
  13. "Evermore" - 3:28
  14. "Dudes" - 3:15

References

  1. ^ Abbott, Jim (14 June 1991). "In the Bin". Calendar. Orlando Sentinel. p. 21.
  2. ^ "Steel Pulse—Top Reggae Band". Afro-American Red Star. 13 July 1991. p. B6.
  3. ^ Hochman, Steve (5 July 1991). "Steel Pulse Serves Up a Flat Set at the Greek". Los Angeles Times. p. F19.
  4. ^ "Steel Pulse". Recording Academy. Retrieved 14 February 2023.
  5. ^ Joyce, Mike (8 August 1991). "The Reggae Beat of Steel Pulse". The Washington Post. p. D11.
  6. ^ "Victims by Steel Pulse". Billboard. Vol. 103, no. 28. 13 July 1991. p. 76.
  7. ^ Burliuk, Greg (3 August 1991). "Short Cuts". Magazine. The Kingston Whig-Standard. p. 1.
  8. ^ "Music". Part II. Newsday. 24 June 1991. p. 38.
  9. ^ Norment, Lynn (September 1991). "Sounding Off". Ebony. 46 (11): 24.
  10. ^ Victims at AllMusic
  11. ^ Morse, Steve (30 June 1991). "Wrestling for the soul of reggae". The Boston Globe.
  12. ^ D'Agostino, John (9 July 1991). "Reggae to Test Compatibility of Pops, Convention Center". Los Angeles Times. p. F1.
  13. ^ Hall, Dave (19 July 1991). "Steel Pulse Victims". Weekend. St. Petersburg Times. p. 16.
  14. ^ Erskine, Evelyn (3 August 1991). "Steel Pulse: Band on a seesaw". Ottawa Citizen. p. C3.