The Good Times

by Stephen Thomas Erlewine"Because I Got High" is one of those genius, perfectly conceived and executed singles that seem to arise from the ether as if they've always been there. Sparely instrumented, recorded so nonchalantly it's hard to believe that anybody believed that the tape was rolling, it's a riot -- it's not just a frat rock anthem, it's a logical, brilliant record, escalating from verse to verse, with its consciously off-handed comments still capable of eliciting extreme laughter on the 20th spin. It's so good, in fact, that it's easy to expect that the rest of Afroman's The Good Times is of a similar caliber but it's not, even if "The American Dream" borrows the backing track wholesale. Problem is, Afroman doesn't rely on the cleverness that informs "Because I Got High," but he trades it for vulgarity that could have been acceptable if it had a spark of wit -- instead, it just lays there. It's not necessarily a bad listen, since it is in the same vein as the hit, and is fairly well produced, but it just doesn't have the spark that makes "Because I Got High" such an intoxicating, irresistible single. So, if you're looking just for that song, you're better off with the Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back soundtrack, because at least with that you get Jason Mewes' brilliant updating of "Jay's Rap."