Music Review

Album Review: 'Tubthumper' (1997)

EW's GRADE
B+

Details Lead Performance: Chumbawamba

U.K. ensemble Chumbawamba have mastered the fist-in-velvet-glove sucker punch. Any weapon is fair game: jungle, synth-pop, hip-hop — even faux madrigals. For instance, their big bruiser of an anthem, ''Tubthumping'' (the ''I get knocked down/But I get up again'' radio mainstay), achieves the near impossible: It rallies the lager-lout rabble while simultaneously deriding it. Social commentary never tasted so sweet. B+

Originally posted Oct 31, 1997 Published in issue #403 Oct 31, 1997 Order article reprints

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