Customer Reviews

True Colors

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I hesitatingly bought this double CD, but I'm glad I did. "True Colors" isn't just a compilation of tracks--it is album of real songs. Too much dance music is just a cool groove looped to infinity. These songs have individual character--in the liner notes, High Contrast (aka Lincoln Barrett) says that they evoke different colors in his mind--and yet they cohere as part of a total vision. I would call it "warm" drum and bass, since it has a lot of samples from "organic" instruments--B3 organs, soul vocals, and such--but the beats have punch and are resolutely futuristic. There's both emotional depth here and sophisticated production that makes for great listening on or off the dance floor. High Contrast's "True Colors" is better than Goldie's "Timeless" (no cheezy orca noises), although I have to admit that "Timeless" made albums like "True Colors" possible.

I spend hours upon hours looking for "this", regardless of the genre. Worth the ~$13 bucks; Return of Forever is unbelieveable. If you like True Colors, most definitely check out High Society, in fact the entire rest of the Hospital crew.

This CD is one the the top ten of the year! If you like this one, you should also check out Quentin's Ladder "Delusion" CD!

I had to change what I wrote before because I hadn't listened to the album enough to give it a fair review. Here's what I'm writing now:
High Contrast is getting crazy reviews because he's completely original, and because he's good. Now the album as a whole isn't hit after hit, but high contrast is good. There are at least 4 songs I have to keep hearing over and over again. He has a lot of talent and he's only going to get better. He has mad skills with a drum machine, and using music producing equipment/software in general... and I would love to know what he uses. Anyway, he's flawless at it. The songs can get kind of repetetive, but many are very good. My only major criticism that remains is that the mix cd isn't mixed right, the song doesn't end before the next track begins.

while i have never heard the cd, i have heard the record compilation while spinning at my friend's house and it contains all of the same songs. its a commendable effort from a meticulous producer that makes drum & bass that is innoffensive and danceable. definately a more mature approach to the entire genre i feel that this is something that will appeal to older drum & bass loving adults that couldn't get over the fact that jump-up fizzled out and jungle became subdued by years of darkness.

I once wrote in amazon that Roni Size's "New Form"-album is my all-time favorite DnB-album. Well, that's still true, but High Constrast's "True Colors" has joined this very small club. I think, New Forms was the groundbreaking album of the 90's, but True Colors is the groundbreaking album of the 00's.

At a time when everybody said DnB is dead, High Contrast came out with this album and proofed everybody wrong. Combining influences from Jazz, Funk, House, Dancehall, ambient,... he has created a new sound of DnB which is highly musical, highly artistic, and has revolutionized the whole scene. I actually think that thanks to him and his colleagues at Hospital Records, DnB is fresher and better than ever.

True Colors is very atmospheric, very liquid, very smooth, but at the same time preserves the edge, the roughness and the "underground" feel of a typical DnB-album. You can here it at home, dance to it in a club, or play it at a private party (where everybody will come up to you and ask you for the CD - even those who never had any contact to DnB) or in a lounge.

The album comes as a 2CD set, the first with the full tracks, the second with a mix-version. By now I actually prefer the mix. I have had this CD for a while, but still I listen to it regularly. Its really addictive.

If you like this sound, and you likely will, you should actually buy all High Contrast albums. Also look at the other Hospital-crew members, especially Nu:Tone or, of course, London Elektricity.

True Colours was an undoubtedly ground-breaking album. High Contrast blasted the drum and bass scene with different, rich, innovative samples and melodies. True Colours contained instant classics like "Return to Forever" and "Global Love" but some songs like "Expose" and "Savoir Faire" seemed out of place. True Colours had a strange flow; a bit too diverse to swallow from beginning to end.

It had to be difficult for Barrett to come up with new innovative material. Coming up with a worthy successor to True Colours had to be a real challenge. However High Society not only matches the musical quality of True Colours but excels as a truly amazing drum and bass album. It picks up where True Colours ended and, following its predecessor, contains instant classics. The difference is that High Society has a real flow to it. The song arrangement makes sense from start to finish. This is definitely one of the top ten DNB LPs of this decade. It is remarkable how High Contrast keeps getting better.

First off let me just say, Hospital Records is the bomb!! With producers like, High Contrast, Total Science and BLue Sonix...how can you go wrong? I don't know...wait a minute...Oh yeah the album..LOL. This is High Contrasts' (Lee Greenway) first album, and man is it an AWESOME way to start a career. From the start of the cd (Music Is Everything) to the dancefloor smashers (Return Of Forever, Global Love) to the mellow tracks (Passion, Savoir Faire)...he ends the CD with My personal favorite tune on the CD...MERMAID SCAR. THis is the HEAVY ROLLER of the cd..with its swirling background vocals, and it's Neo'esqe layers and effects (this reffers to Hive's - NEO) and what a synth/conga line...it rolls perfectly with the bassline. THIS IS THE ALBUM TO OWN IF YOU LIKE GROOVY DNB. Nobody does it better and NOONE ever will. High Contrast, your tyhe man! Too bad this CD doesn't have The Basement Track....But if you want to hear it...BUY ANDY C - Nightlife...IT RULES! PEACE...Special Agent R3 DC VA Junglist

Really varied, excellent drum and bass - return of forever has fantastic bassline, passion has this great double beat, makeittonight and musiciseverything are just brilliant.

I would say it's drum and bass with a bit more drum - fast, hardcore, and full of energy.

I bought this album over a year ago, and to be honest, it sat in my crate-unplayed-for just about the whole time. I was (and still am to a certain extend) a D&B fan that cringed when I heard any lyrics (except old school ragga toasting). To me, it is all about the beat/bassline. Don't get me wrong, I loved "Return of Forever" right off the bat. I struggled through "Music is Everything" (diva vocals). By the time I got to "True Colors" and its gay (not that there is anything wrong w/ that) filtered disco lyrics, that was the end for me. I recently came across it and decided that maybe my musical vocabulary had expanded and it would sound better the 2nd time around. Holy Sh** was I right. "True Colors" (the track)actually has one of the sickest beats once you get through the first couple minutes of fluff. Once I got to the last track ("Mermaid Scar"), I was hooked. Anyway, the more I listened, the more I saw what all the fuss was about over this record and this artist. This dude really has some serious talent. To make a short story long, I am now a huge High Contrast fan.