The Tribe has come a long way from the days of Take a Long Hike, and their profile has gradually increased to where they are now one of the four biggest-selling UK Christian acts. This album has been given mainstream distribution to reflect their growing popularity. Despite all this, the group is still focused on their work in Manchester schools, and the album is aimed directly at the kids they work with.
In the past year, dance music has developed a lot in the harder and more progressive end of the spectrum (Prodigy, Chemical Brothers etc.), becoming much more popular as a genre. And this album shows the Tribe moving with the times. The house-influenced sound that the Tribe have been popular for is still present in this album, but other elements are introduced -- including 70s disco ("Everything I Need"), techno/alternative ("Hypocrite"), and even a laidback track that producer Zarc Porter says is the result of some Portishead and Bjork influences ("Cuckoo Land").
This mish-mash of styles does seem to work on individual tracks, many of which are extremely good songs, but the album seems to be a little too diverse to my ears and doesn't totally hang together as a whole. Lyrically, the Tribe's emphasis is always on evangelism so don't expect extremely deep lyrics. Having said that, a number of the tracks do show a level of soul-searching, which is refreshing in such an evangelistic setting.
3.5 tocks
Other coverage for this album
The Lighthouse Unsorted 1999Reviewed by Stacey Lee FeldmanWorld Wide Message Tribe has outdone themselves, turning in a massive spirit-filled and energy-driven project that is truly deserving of the name, Heatseeker. It wouldn't be fair to classify this as a straight dance project, although the Tribe is known as a dance group. There are a lot of rapped vocals and heavy guitars stirred in, which adds smacks of techno, industrial, and club. Fans of the…The Phantom Tollbooth 1998Reviewed by Shari LloydLet's dance! Finally, the wait is over. Warner Resound is releasing Heatseeker to the US market. If you aren't familiar with World Wide Message Tribe, they formed to minister to Manchester (England) school kids but their popular dance music has made them a hit with audiences across Europe and America winning them a Dove Award last year for We Don't Get What We Deserve. This album finds them on…The Phantom Tollbooth 1998Reviewed by Darryl CottierOne look at the new World Wide Message Tribe CD and you know that something is different... From the graphics of the CD, to a new line-up and even new haircuts (see inside the CD sleeve). The Tribe have redesigned themselves and come away with a great album and the music has been brought up to date with the ever-changing dance rhythms of the club scene. The WWMT exist only to help supply income…Similar sounding releases
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