Vernon Reid

July 11 - July 18, 1 9 9 6 [Off the Record]

**1/2 Vernon Reid

MISTAKEN IDENTITY

(550 Music/Epic)

Former Living Coloür guitarist Vernon Reid comes into his own with a genre-tripping buffet of funk, fusion, blues, and heavy metal. On "Lightnin'," Reid displays affection for blues legend Lightnin' Hopkins by conveying a sense of manic urgency peppered with melancholy undertones. Turntable wizard Jay Logic joins in on the street-savvy "Uptown Drifter," blending scratching fervor with Reid's lounge-funk embellishments.

Reid's open-ended song structures leave just enough room for improvisation; he intones John McLaughlin on "The Projects" and "What's My Name," with blistering clarinet from Don Byron on the former. "St. Cobain" is a heartfelt grunge-dirge eulogy to Kurt -- the "You're gonna miss me when I'm gone" chorus resonates with an eerie authority. Guest appearances also include actor Laurence Fishburne (reading "Important Safety Instructions" with tongue pointedly in cheek) and rapper Chubb Rock (on the sardonic "You Say He's Just a Psychic Friend," about TV infomercials). Although the absence of a strong vocalist (say, Living Coloür's Corey Glover) is definitely felt, Mistaken Identity provides an intriguing musical interlude

-- David Gérard