Customer Reviews
Fantastic Surprise - By: , 08 Dec 2004 
I was given this album for a birthday present & was not overly impressed until I listened to this album a couple of timesin the car.
This has become one of my all time greats - the fantastic crossover of britpop/funk/rap/filth is totally fantastic - one of the greatest!
Worth the wait! - By: , 08 Feb 2002 
When this, the Stereo MCs third (or fourth album - depending on your whether you count their DJ Kicks album) first appeared the music press gave it a rather spectacular kicking. Well, it was hardly surprising - the band had been mooching about for ages apparently doing very little. The period between this album & Connected only helped to increase the stature of their 1992 release to 'classic' status & increase the chances of their latest offering being treated like an unwelcome stale loaf.
So, was the lukewarm reception justified? I'd say a definite "no" to that one. This record has been a real grower for me, & even after its release several months ago it still appearsin my stereo pretty frequently. Strangely I don't think anything on this record really leaps out at you, but taking the album as a whole it does have an excellent vibe & mood to it that really sticksin your head. I particularly admire Rob Birch for not sticking to his particular rapping style all the way through (as he did with Connected), as a result his vocals actually mess with the flow of a couple of songs, but it works really well. I would knock the production though, as the band have a superb line up of backing singers (as witnesses at any of their live gigs) that are really buried into the mix here, & that's a real shame.
Overall - top album, go buy! I'm just hoping it doesn't take another thousand years for the next one to arrive!
C-, Should Do Better - By: suf@cableinet.co.uk, 05 Jul 2001 In a word this album is dissapointing. The previous three LPs by the Mcs were mould-breakers with brilliant use of low down bass beats & vocals but this knocks the kings off the throne. There happen to be better bands at the moment who produce the kind of music on this albumin thier sleep. I eagerly anticipate the Mcs fifth number to see if they can dig themselves out of the hole that is "fourth album syndrome".
The soundtrack of the Summer - By: , 20 May 2001 now plagued with the recurring fact that this lot have been away for nearly eight years (something that will haunt them for every single interview that they ever do), it is indeed the new album from the stereo mc's. thirtreen tracks of wholesome funky grooves that show no signs of the stereo mc's being affected by any massive shiftsin club culture. & we should be all the more grateful for it, for despite the justified criticism that this just sounds like more of their last album 'connected', the exuburant energy on display cannot be faulted.
the opening title track & recent single is an early indication that all the elements that made the stereo mc's great the first time round are still there. snarling bass, locked-on grooves & venomous delivery by rob b add up to an infectiously memorable five minutes. 'breeze' adopts the vocoder to a largely instrumental track that is simply funky. 'graffiti pts. 1 & 2' takes the funk blueprint & twists it to their own unique moulding. ultimately danceable, this is the album's highlight.
'sofisicated' begins with "she's so sophisicated, i'm such a loser, she knows how to use me, but I don't wanna lose her" against jazz trumpeting & piano breaks. later tracks up the ante & keep the beats driving while cath coffey's soaring vocals make more of a presence.
very difficult to criticise the south london posse, while some tracks do sound like fillers, even those that do sound better than anybody else. explosive as a live act as well, their upcoming uk tour is compulsory & must not be missed at any cost. without a doubt, the soundtrack of the summer.
