Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Sherwood has been a key figure on the margins of the UK dub reggae scene since the days of punk so it's somewhat surprising that Never Trust a Hippy is only his first full-length release. Which isn't to say he hasn't already built up a pretty mean legacy: as the power behind the influential On-U Sound label he's worked as producer for the likes of Primal Scream, Nine Inch Nails, and Lee "Scratch" Perry, mashing together dancehall tempos, dub skankiness, rootsy world-music, and electronic industrialism under one pioneering banner. Never Trust a Hippy is the logical culmination of one man's quest, a collection of tracks with a definite grounding in dub's spiritual reverence for echo, delay, and heavy bass. A number of contributors add their own unique spin on the sound, including excellent digital dancehall producer Lenky, Indian vocalist Hari Haran, reggae greats Sly & Robbie, and Sherwood's young daughters who sing vocals on "The Ignorant Version." Cultures are packed so densely that it comes out sounding virtually rootless, making Never Trust a Hippy dizzyingly unique. --Louis Pattison
From URB Magazine
(Realworld) It's hard to hear how Adrian Sherwood's "first-ever solo album" is all that much different from the many, many albums he's released under monikers like African Head Charge, Singers and Players and New Age Steppers. Never Trust a Hippy (ironic title for that most pot-based of all subgenres, no?) offers much of the same mix of sturdy riddims and judiciously chosen sound effects - on "Processed World" we get gunshots, a kiddie chorus and what sounds like a '50s radio drama - as Sherwood's earlier work. As usual for him, the grooves honor the roots reggae that fired dub the first time around and he updates them with touches of dancehall and African music ("The Ignorant Version" touches on both). Still, it's on the relatively old-fashioned "Boogaloo" that he really catches a spark, its sneaky, meditative trumpet part and shuffling drum pattern surprisingly reminiscent of Miles Davis' "In a Silent Way" gone skank.
Michaelangelo Matos
Never Trust a Hippy,Adrian Sherwood,Real World,Dub,Electronica,Pop,Post-Punk,Reggae,Reggae Music,Rock/Pop
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