ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT
Since The Last Time (Vagabond)
[4 1/2 stars]
Hard to believe it’s been 15 years, but it was indeed 1992 since Arrested Development last held the headphones tight enough to be heard on songs like “Tennessee” and “People Everyday.”
Sonically, the group reaches from Outkast-lite to Caribbean rhythms to spread its message. It’s a mix that succeeds beautifully. But perhaps Speech best describes what sets them apart on the title track: “Many rap groups attempt to latch to the popular culture’s statutes, and thus, they detach their roots from the soil that kept them loose and made what they delivered so true… We desired art and never sold out for the high chart positions.”
