Sublime Albums (5)
'Acoustic: Bradley Nowell & Friends'
Release Date 11/17/1998
Tracks 15
Label MCA
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
Between November 1997 and November 1998, the Bradley Nowell estate, MCA, and the surviving members of Sublime released no less than three albums of outtakes, rarities, and live tracks, culminating with Acoustic: Bradley Nowell & Friends. At first glance, this appears to be the least interesting of the three albums, since it doesn't have outtakes like Second Hand Smoke or document the band in its live prime, like Stand by Your Van. Strangely enough, that's the reason why it's the most engaging of any of the posthumous Sublime releases. Throughout all these recordings, many of which are decidedly lo-fi, Nowell and a variety of supporting musicians run through Sublime favorites, toss-offs, and covers. It's relaxed, funny, and, funnily enough, quite moving, because it captures a human, touching side of Nowell that only surfaced in glimpses on Sublime's official albums. Of course, this is something that will be of interest primarily to hardcore fans, not fellow travelers who only owned Sublime, but that's the reason why Acoustic is the best of all the Sublime records released after Nowell's death. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
A little over two years after Bradley Nowell's tragic death, Sublime released its second posthumous album, Stand by Your Van. Sublime never had the chance to tour the material from Sublime, which turned out to be their most popular album. That means that all 16 tracks on Stand by Your Van are taken from their first two albums, before Nowell's songwriting had truly come into its own. Nevertheless, he had several good songs on 40 Oz. to Freedom and Robbin' the Hood, and by consolidating the best moments from those two relatively uneven albums, the live record offers something of a "greatest hits" of their early years. If the performances aren't that different from the studio versions -- they're simply a little rawer, a little faster, a little looser -- they're still strong and energetic, capturing the essence of the group's live show. Ultimately, that energy is what makes Stand by Your Van the best posthumous Sublime record to date. Nobody outside of hardcore fans needs this record, but the quality of the music is better than either the What I Got... EP or the haphazard outtakes album Second Hand Smoke, and that alone makes its release somewhat noteworthy. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Pieced together rather quickly, Robbin' the Hood wasn't really intended to be the follow-up to Sublime's debut, 40 Oz. to Freedom, but what is shocking is how much better the record is than its predecessor. Boasting a wider range of influences -- including elements of reggae and old-school hip-hop -- the record is a loose, infectious blend of styles that rides along on its own sense of energy. Brad Nowell's songwriting might still be at a rudimentary level, but the group sounds more muscular and musical than before, demonstrating that the breakthrough of its sole major-label record, Sublime, wasn't an accident. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
With their debut, 40 Oz. to Freedom, Sublime attempt to have it both ways. The group wants to appeal to alterna-punks, but they want to cut a little deeper and make some sort of social statement, both with their lyrics and their self-consciously eclectic music. Since the group has a knack for combining dancehall reggae with hardcore punk, the music can be nervy and invigorating, but their joyous blend of cultures doesn't fare so well at the lyrical level. No matter how you look at it, "Date Rape" isn't a bold, ironic satire on macho mores -- it's frat rock that's bound to be misinterpreted, especially with its homophobic "I can't take pity on men of his kind, even though he now takes it in the behind" conclusion. Lyrics like that prevent 40 Oz. to Freedom from being the cracking, skanking skatepunk record that it had the potential to be. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Sublime's eponymous major-label debut arrived a few months after the band's leader, Brad Nowell, died tragically of a heroin overdose. As a show of sympathy, the album tended to be slightly overrated in some critical quarters, who claimed that Nowell was an exceptionally gifted lyricist and musical hybridist, but Sublime doesn't quite support those claims. The trio does have a surprising grace in its unabashedly traditionalist fusion of Californian hardcore punk, light hip-hop, and reggae. Switching between bracing hardcore and slow, sexy reggae numbers, Sublime display supple, muscular versatility and, on occasion, a gift for ingratiatingly catchy hooks, as on the hit single "What I Got." What they don't have is the vision -- either lyrical or musical -- to maintain interest throughout the course of the entire album. Sublime sags when the band delves too deeply into their dub aspirations or when their lyrics slide into smirking humor. The low moments don't arrive that often -- by and large, the album is quite engaging -- but they happen frequently enough to make the record a demonstration of the band's blossoming ability, but not the fulfillment of their full potential. Of course, Nowell's death gives the record a certain pathos, but that doesn't make the album any stronger. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
