4 Non Blondes: Linda Perry (vocals, guitar); Roger Rocha (guitar); Christa Hillhouse (bass, background vocals); Dawn Richardson (drums).
Additional personnel: Louis Metoyer, Shaunna Hall (guitar); Suzie Katayama (cello); Judy Rudin (harmonica); Laurent Tardy (piano); David Rickets (keyboards); Rory Kaplan (Mellotron).
Recorded at Groove Masters, Santa Monica, California and The Plant, Sausalito, California.
San Francisco's 4 Non Blondes burst onto the national scene with their massive, neo-hippie anthem "What's Up" from their debut Bigger, Better, Faster, More? Although they failed to recreate the single's success, the album, as a whole, is a fairly engaging mix of alternative rock, quasi-funk, and blues.
The focal point is on lead singer Linda Perry who also plays guitar and was the primary writer of the material. Perry has a powerful set of pipes akin to Johnette Napolitano, but, unfortunately, she tends to cut loose when a little more restraint would benefit the proceedings. However, "Superfly" is a feel good, funky number and "Spaceman"'s yearning lyrics are delivered over a quiet, martial drum rhythm. A solid debut that got lost in the wake of its mammoth hit. ~ Tom Demalon
Professional Reviews
Entertainment Weekly (5/7/93, p.58) - "...Imagine a distaff Spin Doctors with more ooomph...[a] musical grab bag...stuffed with jet-propelled folk rock, angst-ridden anthems, high-octane blues, and '90s protest songs..."
- Rating: A-
Q (7/93, p.88) - 4 Stars - Excellent - "...tracks like `What's Up' and `Spaceman' sound like suspiciously timeless classics...diversity of material diffuses the impact of the record to a degree, but [the album] is nevertheless an auspicious introduction..."
