In the gap between being the Housemartins' bassist, and hitting global mega-stardom as Fat Boy Slim, Norman Cook tested the public's appetite for his dance-mix and sampling production as Beats International.
But for the Housemartins link, I'd have ignored this as 'not for me', and it was definitely picked up for a pound in a charity shop.
Burundi Blues opens up in a pleasant, inoffensive sort of way before the number one hit Dub Be Good To Me, a reworking of the SOS Band song using Paul Simenon's bass line from Guns Of Brixton with Lindy Layton doing a fine job on vocals. But frankly, this is as good as it gets. The rest of the album is, to me, pleasant but bland, and only interesting in a 'guess the sample' kind of way. Michael Jackson, Billy Bragg, Paul Simon, they're all there, on what is a good pop/dance album, but ultimately really isn't my sort of thing.
2* - a disappointing listen, I'd hoped something would grab my attention, but it all felt like very plain fare, if well done.
Comments