Generations (Deluxe Edition)

Album Review

Released in commemoration of Sens Unik's 20th anniversary, Generations is the third compilation to chronicle the trailblazing Swiss French rap group's career arc. Like its two predecessors, Panorama 1991-1997 (1997) and Galaxy 1991-2004 (2004), Generations includes the expected greatest hits like "Laisse Toi Aller" and "Paquito" along with some new material to entice fans who already have all the hits. There are four new songs on Generations. The two new songs that open the album, "Sur Tes Ondes" and "Dream," are both great. The third new song, "Unik," which features former group members Osez, Rade, and Dynamike as guests, is interesting if not great. As for the previously released material on Generations, there are 16 songs in non-chronological order. All except one of Sens Unik's albums are represented, the two aforementioned compilations too, with an emphasis on the group's late-'90s and early-2000s material. While there is only a song each culled from the albums Chromatic (1994) and Tribulations (1996), there are four songs from Pole Position (1998), two from Abracadabra (2001), and three from Mea Culpa (2004). There are also two of the new songs from Panorama 1991-1997, most notably the Fantastischen Vier collaboration "Original," and two of the new songs from Galaxy 1991-2004, most notably the remix of "Laisse Toi Aller." While it's convienant to have these compilation tracks included on Generations, it's troubling to see Chromatic and Tribulations overlooked, not to mention the group's debut EP, Le VIème Sens (1991), and groundbreaking first album, Les Portes du Temps (1992). Anyone interested in hearing Sens Unik's peak period is far better served by one of the group's earlier compilations, Panorama 1991-1997 in particular, as a lot of early singles like "A Gauche à Droite" and "Hijo de Latino" are missing on Generations.