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Sometimes I think it’s bad for a fan of a particular group to review their latest CD. Fans have high and often unreasonable expectations of the group. Take a look at the Stone Roses, for example. The Second Coming is a much better album in terms of the musicianship of the Manchester lads, but fans derided it when it came out because it wasn’t like their first album.
It’s fair to say the Stereo MCs suffer from the same syndrome. Many people dismiss them, thinking nothing they ever do will be as good as Connected. However, although there’s nothing here that quite reaches the excellence of their first major singles, it’s musically a much stronger album.
They launch the album with Get On It, a super funky disco throwback and continue in an upbeat, semi-retro mode throughout most of the album. Karaoke and Gringo are a couple of the “tougher” songs, with harsher beats and heavy rhymes. Soul Girl is another great soulful disco track, whereas Pictures is quite a touching, reflective tune.
The Stereo MCs will always sound like they’re stuck in the ‘90s, just because of Nick Hallam’s voice, but the production on the album is very modern. It’s not quite electro, it’s not quite trip-hop, but it’s got a retro feel that never tips over into cheese. A great example of this is Hot Blood; which sounds similar to the Eurythmics’ Sweet Dreams, but not enough to make you cringe.
In a lot of ways it reminds me of the Nextmen and Dub Pistols: easygoing UK hip hop with a dancefloor vibe. It’s an album that can be listened to in clubs, cars and cafes without ever offending anyone’s sensibilities too much. And like the Nextmen’s and Dub Pistols’ latest albums, Double Bubble by the Stereo MCs has great production and a great overall sound.
