3 Years, 5 Months & 2 Days in the Life Of...

1	Man's Final Frontier 2:38
2	Mama's Always on Stage 3:25
3	People Everyday 3:26
4	Blues Happy 0:46
5	Mr. Wendal 4:06
6	Children Play with Earth 2:38
7	Raining Revolution 3:25
8	Fishin' 4 Religion 4:06
9	Give a Man a Fish 4:22
10	U 4:59
11	Eve of Reality 1:53
12	Natural 4:18
13	Dawn of the Dreads 5:17
14	Tennessee 4:32
15	Washed Away 6:22
16	People Everyday Metamorphosis Mix 4:55

Barnes & Noble

With its feel-good humanism, uniquely rural perspective, and melodic blend of funk and rap, Arrested Development were the hip hop discovery of 1992. Hailing from Atlanta before the city became a black music Mecca, their lyrically playful, sonically inventive debut, won the hearts of critics and fans alike. Frontman Speech delivered eloquent attacks on gangsta rap's nihilistic thug-posturing, while the band's first hit, "Tennessee," spoke to the struggle of wresting black Southern tradition from the scars left by the racist culture that helped create it. Following suit, their second single, "People Everyday," deftly updated the Sly Stone classic, with Dionne Farris's keening vocals highlighting the band's funky front line. AD itself went south just as the memories of those classics began to fade, but even if the band didn't exactly throw in for the long hall, they're ability to transform, or at least brighten, the gangsta rap era was (and is) constantly inspiring. Martin Johnson

All Music Guide

Widely adored when it appeared in 1992, Arrested Development's debut album, 3 Years, 5 Months & 2 Days in the Life Of... seemed to herald a shining new era in alternative rap, when audiences and critics of all colors could agree on the music's importance. Of course, that didn't happen, as Dr. Dre instead took gangsta rap to the top of the charts with The Chronic. In retrospect, 3 Years... isn't quite as revolutionary as it first seemed, though it's still a fine record that often crosses the line into excellence. Its positive messages were the chief selling point for many rock critics, and it's filled with pleas for black unity and brotherly compassion, as well as a devotion to the struggle for equality. All of that is grounded in a simple, upbeat spirituality that also results in tributes to the homeless (the hit "Mr. Wendal"), black women of all shapes and sizes, and the natural world. It's determinedly down to earth, and that aesthetic informs the group's music as well. Their sound is a laid-back, southern-fried groove informed by rural blues, African percussion, funk, and melodic R&B. All of it comes together on the classic single "Tennessee," which takes lead rapper Speech on a spiritual quest to reclaim his heritage in a south still haunted by its history. It helped Arrested Development become the first rap group to win a Grammy for Best New Artist, and to top numerous year-end critical polls. In hindsight, there's a distinct political correctness -- even naïveté -- in the lyrics, which places the record firmly in the early '90s; it's also a bit self-consciously profound at times, lacking the playfulness of peers like the Native Tongues. Nonetheless, 3 Years... was a major influence on a new breed of alternative southern hip-hop, including Goodie Mob, OutKast, and Nappy Roots, and it still stands as one of the better albums of its kind. Steve Huey