''Unity'' is an album by the American band Big Mountain, released in 1994. The album peaked at No. 174 on the ''Billboard'' 200. "Sweet Sensual Love" was released as a single, peaking at No. 51 on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

. ''Unity'' sold more than a million copies. The band supported the album by headlining

Reggae Sunsplash Reggae Sunsplash is a reggae music festival first staged in 1978 in the northern part of Jamaica. In 1985 it expanded with the addition of an international touring festival. The festival ran annually until 1996, with a final event in 1998, befo ...

in 1994 and 1995.

Production

The songs were written by frontman Quino; many of the lyrics contain political themes and criticisms of U.S. governmental policy. Quino sang in Spanish on some songs. "Border Town" is about undocumented workers. The cover of "

Baby, I Love Your Way "Baby, I Love Your Way" is a song written and performed by English singer Peter Frampton, released as a single in September 1975. It first featured on Frampton's 1975 album, '' Frampton'', where it segues from the previous track "Nassau". A ...

" first appeared on the soundtrack to ''

Reality Bites ''Reality Bites'' is a 1994 American romantic comedy-drama film written by Helen Childress and directed by Ben Stiller, in his directorial debut. It stars Winona Ryder, Ethan Hawke and Stiller, with supporting roles by Janeane Garofalo and St ...

''.

Critical reception

The ''

Calgary Herald The ''Calgary Herald'' is a daily newspaper published in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Publication began in 1883 as ''The Calgary Herald, Mining and Ranche Advocate, and General Advertiser''. It is owned by the Postmedia Network. History ''The ...

'' wrote that the band "is never less than soothing, often inspiring, and its lyrics of love (personal, spiritual, political) is a welcome respite from the below-the-belt toastin' so common today." ''

The Baltimore Sun ''The Baltimore Sun'' is the largest general-circulation daily newspaper based in the U.S. state of Maryland and provides coverage of local and regional news, events, issues, people, and industries. Founded in 1837, it is currently owned by Tr ...

'' praised the cover of "

" but determined that, "unfortunately, that sort of trick works only once an album, and anyone expecting more of the same from ''Unity'' will be sorely disappointed." ''

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution ''The Atlanta Journal-Constitution'' is the only major daily newspaper in the metropolitan area of Atlanta, Georgia. It is the flagship publication of Cox Enterprises. The ''Atlanta Journal-Constitution'' is the result of the merger between ...

'' stated that ''Unity'' "offers Rastafarian vibes for summer beer decks everywhere." The ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...

'' noted that "the seed planted by Jamaican music and reggae culture is filtered through an American perspective." The ''

Los Angeles Daily News The ''Los Angeles Daily News'' is the second-largest-circulating paid daily newspaper of Los Angeles, California. It is the flagship of the Southern California News Group, a branch of Colorado-based Digital First Media. The offices of the ''Dai ...

'' called the album "too pop oriented, too lightweight," writing that "it lacks the pathos that made Marley, at even his most chirpy, believable." The ''

Orange County Register ''The Orange County Register'' is a paid daily newspaper published in California. The ''Register'', published in Orange County, California, is owned by the private equity firm Alden Global Capital via its Digital Fiest/Media News subsidiaries. ...

'' concluded that "this group is extremely commercial; at its most hard-hitting, Big Mountain sounds like a more accessible Steel Pulse."

Track listing

References

{{reflist 1994 albums Big Mountain (band) albums Giant Records (Warner) albums