Stupidity

Wearing the term stupidity as a badge of honor, Buster Bloodvessel and his ever-changing cast of Bad Manners members enter the millennium with this collection of new songs recorded over the past few years. Although they've sounded more exciting in the past, this release certainly has a lot going for it. How can you fault an album that kicks off with "Fatman" (sung to the tune of the Batman theme)? Then again, the second track is a lackluster cover of "Can't Take My Eyes Off of You" that should have been better thought out before it was recorded. "Happy" picks up the pace again, sounding as invigorating as the band did back during its commercial heyday in the early '80s. "What Ya Gonna Do" sounds like a Judge Dread outtake (it could actually be a Judge Dread track, but it's hard to tell since there are no song credits listed anywhere). "I'm a Mummy" and "Way Out Mummy" are good fun. "Tossin" is as tender as Bloodvessel has ever been, and is a standout track. The Specials' "Do Nothing" gets a rocking rave-up here, and proves that you can't ruin a great song (not that they try to). Though not all of the 16 tracks are winners, this is another fine album of new material from a band that has always been sorely overlooked. Too bad the production value is not as consistent as they deserve, but at least they're still releasing new stuff. ~ Steve "Spaz" Schnee, Rovi