The Love Movement

Well, it's been two years since A Tribe Called Quest dropped their last joint, Beats, Rhymes, And Life, so fans have been anxious for the release of "The Love Movement." Long time fans have been waiting for something comparable to The Low End Theory, seeing as how the last to albums have not quite met up to it's standards. The Love Movement comes closer to it, but isn't quite what we were lookin' for, although many newer fans of A.T.C.Q. really dig it. Unfortunately, we may never see one either, since The Tribe will be breaking up and persuing solo efforts...damn!

The opening track "Start It Up," does exactly that. It gets ya movin and your head bobbin' to Q-Tip bouncin over it's beats. This song is probably the most reminiscent of the old school Tribe, along with "The Booty." This track makes ya get up and shake yo' booty, and is one of the best songs on the album. This was their feature song at the Beastie Boy's concert too... It makes use of of Phife and Q-Tip's smooth vocals and singin' talent.

The middle of the album hits a lull for a bit, with songs that don't sound too different, and some even have the same bpm. Even though the songs aren't too exciting, they aren't bad. Busta is featured on few tracks (to be expected) here and there too. The next really good song is "Hot 4 U," which is basically about women they've had. A few tracks later is the last listed song "Rock Rock Ya'll." It features several talented artists, Punchline, Wordsworth, Jane Doe, and Mos Def. It makes use of an old school sample and beat, and makes for a tight song.

The rest of the tracks are part of the Limited Edition CD. This includes some remixes and misc. shit. The first is a remix of "Scenario." Since the original is one of my all time fav songs, I didn't like the remix at first. But after listening to it a couple times, I started to look at it by itself and not comparing it to the original, and it gets better every time I hear it. The next track is Q-Tip aka The Lone Ranger doin "Money Maker." This is laid back and tight as hell, very smooth. The Limited Edition also includes "Hot Sex," which is a familiar song.

Even though The Love Movement doesn't fill the hunger for more old school Tribe, it's still a good album. The extra tracks help it out a lot too...Some people might think four (out of five) is too much, some might think it's not enough, but it's what I give em! 02-Oct-1998 4:00 PM