Peace Sign

Performer: War
Artist: Jose Feliciano
Engineer: Larry Goetz
Distributor: WEA (Distributor)

Notes: War: Howard Scott (vocals, guitar, synthesizers, bass); Lonnie Jordan (vocals, piano, organ, keyboards, synthesizers, percussion, programming); Tetsuya "Tex" Nakamura (harmonica); Charles Green (flute, saxophone); Kerry Campbell (saxophone); Rae Valentine (organ, drums, percussion, programming, background vocals); Ronnie Hammon (drums); Harold Brown (drums, percussion, programming, vocals); Sal Rodriguez (drums, percussion, background vocals). Additional personnel: Elsa Barrera (vocals); Larry Goetz (guitar); Lee Oskar (harmonica); Pat Rizzo (saxophone); Gene Page (synthesizer); Romeo Williams (bass); Moses Wheelock (congas, background vocals); Jerry Goldstein (percussion, background vocals); Matt Hyde, Gerry Kenebrew (programming); Milton Myrick, The Waters, Ricky Green (background vocals). Producers: Jerry Goldstein, Lonnie Jordan, Howard Scott. Recorded at Skywalker Ranch, Marino County, California; CAN-AM Recording, Tarzana, California; Cornerstone Recording, Chatsworth, California; Crystal Studios and Rumbo Recording, Hollywood, California. When War reunited in 1994 and recorded Peace Sign -- their first album since 1983's Life (Is So Strange), the band's sound hadn't changed very much. Instead of going high-tech and trying to appeal to urban contemporary tastes, the influential Angelenos continued to offer the type of slow and relaxed yet gritty soul and funk they'd been playing 20 years earlier. The results is a decent album that's hardly in a class with All Day Music, The World Is a Ghetto or Why Can't We Be Friends?, but it has its moments. War had long commanded an intensely devoted following in the Mexican-American community, and it's hard to miss the Latin influence on such enjoyable numbers as "Wild Rodriguez" (a fun ode to the "low rider" or "vato loco" culture) and "East L.A." The CD's strongest offering, however, is "Homeless Hero," a poignant and rightly angry reflection on homeless Vietnam veterans. But despite its strong points, Peace Sign is an album that only War's more devoted followers should invest in -- more casual listeners would be much better off with a collection of the band's '70s recordings. ~ Alex Henderson

Vibe (8/94, p.116) - "...Though hardly a classic LP...PEACE SIGN is certainly a fun one....They're a laid-back groove factory with a conscience..." Musician (11/94, p.88) - "...this comeback still sounds like a ripe nugget from its funkiest years..."

First as a backing band for Eric Burdon, and then on its own, multi-cultural band War played true "world music" years before the term was coined. The group pioneered a blend of soul, R&B, funk, Latin, jazz and African music, and even managed to have several hit singles along the way. Harmonica player Lee Oskar recorded several notable solo albums as well.

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