(Earshot/Inertia)

The first time I saw Ugly Duckling on stage a couple of years back I was extremely impressed. With members sporting bigger bling than Perth Mayor Peter Nattrass or featuring the kind of shaggy good looks found in Bill and Ted movies, this witty and talented trio’s star was still on the rise. When one of them blew his nose on the floor in a truly hideous show of disdain for his surroundings, it still wasn’t enough to wipe the grins off the starry-eyed onlookers’ faces. This is the third and hotly anticipated album from the motley little crew from Long Beach, California, and it’s loaded with the sorts of laconic, tongue in cheek rhymes they’re famous for.

After 12 years in the business, the boys have dispensed with the slightly more cerebral approach of this album’s predecessor, Meat Shake, and returned to their roots to produce a big, fun party album full of breaks, funkin’ funk, horn sections and booty shaking raps. Citing funk legends such as James Brown and the party grooves of Kool and the Gang as major influences, the duckers have also included a rare collaboration with People Under the Stairs in “Shoot Your Shot” which was apparently inspired by A Tribe Called Quest’s “Scenario”. The rapping is tight as ever and unmistakably infused with the coastal, nasal influences of the boys’ stomping ground.

“Left Behind” is one of the first standout tracks, coasting along rhythmically on tight, speedy rhymes and piano breaks. “Smack”, designed entirely to take the piss out of rappers such as 50 Cent (oh Fiddy, where have you gone these days? The charts ain’t the same without your testosterone-fuelled posturing!) – has inspired lyrics such as, “Slap – you needed that, we’ll teach you how to act!” Any tune that pokes fun at the cracked-up culture of American MTV-hop is really ok with me. “Yudee!” is already getting heaps of airplay on a clued in channel near you, while “Andy vs Dizzy” is the verbal equivalent of rock n’roll wrestling – slightly camp, very heavy bouncing and sparring between two giants of the genre. “Shoot your Shot” is a tidy little number that jiggers along in cartoonish fashion, rounded off nicely with “The End of Time”.

I have no doubt that the duckling fans out there will enjoy this album immensely. It’s big, bouncy and boobalicious (or so they probably wish!) and is lyrically clever enough to warrant more than one listen. The guys reckon it’s their best one yet, but I still reckon it’s a toss up between this and Meat Shake. You decide!