Power in the Blood

A3

Product Details

• Audio CD (August 12, 2003)
• Original Release Date: August 12, 2003
• Number of Discs: 2
• Label: One Little Indian Us
• ASIN: B0000AKY59
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #88,988 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
With Power in the Blood, A3 may have finally gotten everything right. Their first album, as good as it was, came across as a bit of a novelty record (maybe the world just wasn't quite ready for a mix of country and techno music?). Their second album, La Peste, upped the production stakes a bit too much, to the sacrifice of their country soul. So it's reassuring that Power in the Blood takes the best bits of both previous releases, resulting in their best album yet. It's still as slickly produced as the best dance music (they are, after all, labelmates with Bjork), but they manage to infuse their electronics with genuine heart and soul--they may be the first dance act that would sound just as good unplugged. Best of all, they manage to combine guitars and drum machines with catchy anti-establishment songs while never fully lapsing into the dubious realm of Chumbawamba, which is why it's perfectly acceptable to dance along to the banjos and fiddle on standout track "Woody Guthrie", even if it does boast a chorus that says "Don't need no country / Don't fly no flag / Cut no slack for the Union Jack / Stars and Stripes have got me jetlagged". Granted, Power in the Blood is not a perfect album--it's too long and the lyrics get a bit preachy and heavy handed--but it is a good one. The lyric "Mommas don't let your babies grow up to be DJs" (on the superbly-titled "The Devil Went Down to Ibiza") is alone worth the price of admission. --Robert Burrow

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Take all that crap you like and throw it in a blender..., November 22, 2003

By	Eric P Baehr (Gainesville, Georgia United States) - See all my reviews

So you like music, huh? You're picky too, eh? You say you like a little country, a dab of electronica, some crazy-cool techno, acid jazz, rock AND the blues!!!??? Well, why not listen to all of them at the same time? Alabama 3 can help you do just that, my little friend!! This disc has everything you'd ever want readily available to you, the demanding listener.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Acoustic Power is worth it all, October 28, 2003

By	Cinema4 (San Francisco, CA) - See all my reviews

Power in the Blood is my least favorite album by this band. Having grown up in the south and in a gospel church most of my life, I loved the fusion of music styles on the first two albums. Power, is more of a pure house flavor, and Im not a big fan of house. Alas, I am an Alabama 3 fan and I have both the 1 CD England version and the US 'A3" 2CD album of Power, that has the 2ed CD Acoustic Power. It was worth it for these cool country flavored tunes from their albums.
Id do it again.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Most original band I've heard in YEARS, June 18, 2005

By	Maurice P. Kinney "moeinvt" (VT, USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

If you're not listening to Alabama 3 (A3 in the U.S.) you are definitely missing out on some amazingly original and refreshing music. This is the best "NEW" stuff I've heard in maybe 10 years. Thank goodness for "The Sopranos" which turned me on to the band(theme song).

These guys don't even fit into a typical genre . . . we might need to invent one just for them. From the intense beats of the title track to the gospel beauty of REHAB, this album (and all of their albums) are filled with profound lyrics and a broad mixture of vocal and instrumental variety. One listen and you'll be ordering all of their albums.