World Wide Message Tribe
Revived
Reviewed by Drake Merrill
With their hard-hitting mix of melodic Brit pop, poly-rhythmic dance grooves, angelic vocals and gruff rapping, The World Wide Message Tribe has rocked the high schools in Manchester, England, with great music and solid Gospel message. Because they are so focused on the schools in Manchester, their appearances in the States have been few and far between. Revived is a collection of some of their best that will catch anyone up, and give the fans something new to chew on, as well. More than just a retrospective, Revived includes several alternate and remixed versions of past songs, two brand new songs, and some tracks that had gone out of print. Highlights include the sashay of the remixed "I'm On My Way to Zion," the dark, angular groove of "In My Life," the classical-meets-the-dance-floor instrumental "The Return of the Queen of Sheba" and the jazz-flavored dance pop of "Joy." It's a shame the liner notes didn't provide more artistic perspective; it does a good job of giving some personal history (well, a little bit), but there are no clues where the songs were originally released. Still, that is a pretty small complaint, and this is one big dance-pop record.