by Stephen Thomas Erlewine

With their debut, 40 Oz. to Freedom, Sublime attempt to have it both ways. The group wants to appeal to alterna-punks, but they want to cut a little deeper and make some sort of social statement, both with their lyrics and their self-consciously eclectic music. Since the group has a knack for combining dancehall reggae with hardcore punk, the music can be nervy and invigorating, but their joyous blend of cultures doesn't fare so well at the lyrical level. No matter how you look at it, "Date Rape" isn't a bold, ironic satire on macho mores -- it's frat rock that's bound to be misinterpreted, especially with its homophobic "I can't take pity on men of his kind, even though he now takes it in the behind" conclusion. Lyrics like that prevent 40 Oz. to Freedom from being the cracking, skanking skatepunk record that it had the potential to be.