Boo-Yaa T.R.I.B.E. has often favored live instrumentation over loops and samples.
Angry Samoans is entirely reliant on drums and guitars, yet it's equally grounded in metal (whereas their earlier albums were more in line with the kind of loose funk occasionally heard on other West Coast albums by
Above the Law, N.W.A, and
Kid Frost). While a natural reaction to hearing the likes of "Skared for Lyfe," "Kill for the Family," and "Boogie Man" would be comparisons to
Rage Against the Machine,
BYT was doing the same exact thing as early as 1990 -- as heard on
New Funky Nation's "Pickin' Up Metal." Backed by a competent, hard-hitting quartet, the Devoux brothers lay into each track with as much ferocity as expected. The arrangements are rudimentary at times and could've been laid down at any point during the last decade, but they're more than enough to get the Devouxs worked up. In the ears of most fans of the group, it's all that's truly necessary. ~ Andy Kellman