Customer Reviews

Wonders of the World

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

There seem to be a lot of negative reviews for this album. I don't see why, So it's not Sublime. Big deal.

Wonders Dub I- good intro, but could've been longer. A

Sunny Hours- the radio hit from this album, featuring Will.I.Am. Great happy summer song. A+

Listen to DJs- great reggae track. Pays tribute to the greats of dancehall, such as Johnny Osbourne, Mad Cobra, Josey Wales, and Admiral Bailey. A+

Rolled Up- title sounds like a weed song, but isnt. catchy and radio-friendly with a light ska-pop vibe. A

Every Mother's Dream- high-energy punk song, i think its a cover. somewhat reminiscent of "paddle out" from Sublime's self-titled. B+

Life Goes On- great hip-hop/reggae song with 3 guest vocalists including Chali2na from Jurassic 5 and Tippa Irie. A

It Ain't Easy- another solid song with upbeat ska rhythms. A-

Luke- great slow reggae tune with cool story. A

Wonders Dub II- an improvement on WDI mainly because it's longer. A

No Way- more of an edgy ska-metal vibe. not that great. B-

Lonely End- back to the smooth reggae. great lyrics. A

Talkin tha Truth- my favorite on the second half of the album. the closest they'll come to an anti-drug song ("Stick to da weed!) anti-heroin lyrics no doubt inspired by brad nowell's untimely death A+

Free Love- the album kinda weakens for a few tracks here. good reggae song about having a 3-way. C

Lies- "Lies wont set you free-- so why do foolish things?" B-

Kablammin It- VERY sexual song about, well, kablammin it. the music sounds like a "caress me down" retread. kinda funny though. B-

Grass Cloud- a 6+ minute long instrumental encompassing evry style implemented by LBDAS from quasi-dub turntablism at the start to heavy punk guitars at the end. B+

Sunny Hours (Reprise)- the original without the rap or loud guitar. its just as good or better than the original. A+

Lately, I have realized that not a lot of real good music have been put out in the past years. One day i was searching in the mall for a new cd i would want to try out. I rembered hearing about a band formed with some of the remaining members of Sublime. I found it in the store and brought in home. The first few times I didn't really like it. After a few times I started to like more. After like a month I would listen to it at least once a day. the cd starts out great With Sunny Hours feat Will I Am and Rolled up, both songs at least up to par with good Sublime songs. It gets even better with songs like Life Goes On, It Aint easy and No Way. The cd finishes a little slow with another suuny hours and grass clouds which is instrumental but still hits some good songs like talkin the truth and kablammin it. Exept for the two just mentioned, this cd is all A material and should be a part of any Sublime liking fan or any fan of just music. It doesn't get that much attention but is definitely worth it. plus it has an awesome cd cover.

Can't imagine this is for everyone, but for us musiclovers who likes surprises, it's a treat. Haven't heard much Sublime so I guess they're next.
The peak of this album is the fantastic usage of F.Zappa's "I'm the Slime" on Luke, that by itself is a cool song but with a little help from the slime is a masterpiece.
Nicely sung, playfully played using many instruments (which I for one love) and rapped with a cool that noone will resist.
Some of the solos is a bit out of place, where the song'd be better off without. But, it's a great album and I'll bring it to the beach.

I'm a big fan of Sublime albums, and now Dub Allstar ones too. I have all ways enjoyed reggae, and these guys deliver it with some dub, and a little punk. I was bummed when I learned that Bud had left to form Eyes Adrift and Eric and RAS had started Long Beach Shortbus. But I think the Allstars were formed to finish some unfinished business, and now Eric and Bud have gone their own ways to make their own marks. If your a Sublime fan try the Shortbus CD. If your a Sublime junky try the Juice Bros on the Skunk comp "Long Beach Blvd." There is a good live version of Every Mother's Dream on "When Punkers Were Punk" sung by the original singer - with Mike McCready of Pearl Jam on guitar, and Eric on bass.

Long Beach Dub Allstars' latest CD is really good and has a lot of creativity and great sounds within it. It definitely DOES NOT "dull out" by the end of the disc,as a critic reviewed.Granted,there are a few songs that could have been left out,but most of them have a good flow with original lyrics. Some people have said "don't compare them to Sublime", but it's kind of hard not to when they ARE the remaining members of Sublime! It's almost scary how much the singer sounds like Bradley in some songs. For example,around 1 minute 22secs into the track "Lonely End",the singer sounds just like him for a few seconds--which is surely NOT a bad thing! Bradley Nowell is one of the greatest losses in music history, and it's great to hear his style living on with Long Beach Dub Allstars. Give this album a few listens to truly appreciate it. HIGHLY recommended!BEST SONGS TO CHECK OUT: #2. Sunny Hours (w/ Black Eyed Peas Will.I.Am)#3. Listen to DJ's#4. Rolled Up#7. It Aint Easy#11. Lonely End#13. Free Love#15 Kablammin' It #17.Sunny Hours (reprise)

When you buy this, don't expect quite the same as Sublime, but it's still awesome in its own right. Some songs are remniscent of Sublime but there's a lot more dub and reggae. I can't say the singer is quite as good as Bradley but he's still quite good and I love listening to this album on my ipod. It's worth the money just for "Sunny Hours," "Listen to DJ's," and "Lonely End" but the other songs are awesome too and this CD is a hell of a lot better than 99% of the crap they play on the radio. This is one of my newest favorite bands in its own right.

I don't know why i am seeing so many complaints in other people's reviews! I can't find a song on there that isn't solid. First of all, I am shocked that Sunny Hours isn't a bigger radio hit. I am not the type of self important supposedly "huge fans" who lets radio airplay influence my opinion of a song. The beat is eerily similar to that of "What I Got", and the sampling is well done. As for the reprise, it was probably the song with the highest replay value on the entire disc. Rolled Up displays the voice of Opie Ortiz. Every Mother's Dream and No Way are heavy fast punk tracks, but they are also very memorable. Lies sounds almost (dare I say?) Limp Bizkit-esque. Despite its similarity to rap-rock crap, it's message basically blasts the whole genre. Kablammin' It, and Free Love are more mellow, chill type songs, while Grass Cloud and the Wonders Dubs are dubbing like Sublime was known for. Overall, the cd is great all the way through. It's longevity remains to be seen, but the variety of music on it will keep you coming back.

Their new material on Right Back proved that without nowell they still had some songwriting talent. This album contains some decent reggae songs but they are glossed over and it sounds like pop and the lyrics simply are lacking. They seem really disorganized and they don't really have central songwriters. This album really lacks good instrumentals, they have a sax, a flute and an organ yet you hear so little of them if anything. At least in their previous album they had some more depth. also the rap is bad on this album and so is the punk. as a matter of fact this whole cd is pretty bad. i like the band and i want some good modern reggae to be produced but i guess i will have to look further.

The genius of Nowell slips further and further into memory as LBDA encores with a disappointing follow to RIGHT BACK. With the exception of Sunny Hours, which is earily similiar to WHAT I GOT, just more heavily glossed and clearly designed for TOP FORTY play, the album is a big letdown. These guys are talented and one day history will note that they pioneered a new sound that other bands, you know who, rode to success with the catastrophic death of BJN in 1996. I want to jam with them but this record shows they are losing their way. I recommend RIGHT BACK highly but suggest waiting for the next effort of the boys from Long Beach.

Radio these days seems lost in a whirl of carbon copy idiots with about as much pop culture shelf life as slap bracelets. But for those looking to extend their Sublime collection beyond the sad end to LBDA, who flashing a similar sound takes it a step forward. This album is a little more relaxed than the first, stepping timidly into dancehall and trip hop beats. For those seeking the kind of reggae/rock/ska combo that I am starving for, you might enjoy Sunny Days, It aint easy, and Rolled Up. They carry the kind of catchy-ness that your local carbon plant radio is unable to produce. The rest of the album is a kind of blur, with no real distinct direction in any given song, serving more as great background party music but nothing earth shattering.