The ever triumphant Crazy Penis return with their fourth artist album Love On The Line. The five-piece started by Jim Baron and Chris Todd seems to go from strength to strength, whilst their sound has morphed over time from the funk styles to the more electronic One Night On Earth, we are hit up with a nu-disco groove on Love On The Line.

Danielle Moore’s vocals are as strong are as ever on this album, opening up with the driving disco grooves on Too Far. Although the majority of the music on the album is organic, the electronica is always lurking in the background, witnessed here with a sinister synth line that joins us late in the second half of the track. Things get a little funkier on the title track Love On The Line, the funky guitar of Todd ever present and keeps the groove moving nicely.

On a Give A Little the band get into a punk funk line, quite apart from the rest of the album it works for them. Not so effective is the downbeat Is It Ever Enough?, they have succeeded in this style in the past but trip in this attempt. Luckily things are quickly rectified with the electro boogie number Caught Up, fans of Silver City will dig this one. The requisite ‘sad track’ closes the album, Say Goodbye, a sweep of strings and grand piano frame Moore’s voice nicely and the result is quite beautiful in a bitter sweet way.

This isn’t the strongest offering from the group; there are some highlights, but all in all it isn’t an absolute cracker as some of their past work has been. Moving away from the big band funk seems to have left the band a little bit stale.

In a word: almost.