Unfortunately, this little piece of plastic doesn't show Rice And Beans' music as something formal. The band established in Agoura Hills, CA, show the listeners some funkycore sound which is reminiscent of the infamous Incubus back in the time of their indie record, Fungus Among Us, only two times worse. Vocals courtesy of Dave Cassell can at times sound similar to SPiNE's Johnny Three Legs, but with less rap flow and a more funky one. Guitars courtesy of Dave and Harold Lee are mostly poor and boring. Bass lines by Chris, as weird it seems, don't lead the songs, and instead just follow the guitars. Drums by Oscar don't compromise, but it's work is really weak and without any feeling. The band sounds disjointed during the entire record, which, especially for a funk band, is not exactly a good thing. The band has their good moments though. Braindead and Rice And Beans Coming At 'Cha can be considered moments of enlightment for this CD. These two songs can get you tapping your toes when you least expect it. Unfortunately, the band's bad moments are more constant than the bright ones. Songs like Brother and City Of Pain sound almost pathetic by their poorness. Before judging R&B, though, please consider the fact that this demo is really dated (1994), and that by that time the band didn't have many others of a simlar style to be influenced by, even though that doesn't save this album from being a bit of disappointment. Overall, this '94 demo is an ok effort from a band that, I'm sure, has much more potential than they showed.
(2.5 / 5)