faithless - outrospective

.:: From the outset, with Donny X's spine-tingling synth-swathes and brooding sub-bass, it's evident that Outrospective plays to Faithless's strengths. The band has always been more than just a dance act. Deft practitioners of all areas of modern music, their specialties are texture, seductive atmosphere, and haunting melodrama. The single "We Come 1" has a familiar sound, combining Rollo's unnerving soundscapes, Sister Bliss's dance-floor mentality, and rapper Maxi Jazz's deadpan voice to recall the power of "Insomnia" from their 1997 release Reverence.

"We Come 1," like "Tarantula" and "Machines R Us," also represents an increase in bpms that reasserts their club relevance--something which had diminished with their last long-player, the downcast Sunday 8pm. There's also a more up-tempo vibe present, with the gorgeous "One Step too Far" featuring the inevitable appearance of Rollo's sister Dido), and the Philly soul of "Muhammad Ali," with Maxi Jazz singing the praises of his childhood hero. But the lure of their third album, as ever, lies in Maxi Jazz's chilling monologues. The voice of inner thoughts, desires, and conflict, there's nothing quite as arresting as when he quietly muses on "Not Enuff Love": "Money in my pocket / But I just can't give no love." --Dan Gennoe

More upbeat in both tempo and emotion Outrospective is the natural response to last year's melancholy Sunday 8pm with Faithless reasserting their dance floor credentials and position as one of the UK's premiere acts.

"We Come 1" and its remixes successfully put Faithless back in the clubs but as a single release is a little suspect. Like "Insomnia", this is the traditional, floor-filling epic and although it does the business it sells the rest of the album short. It is those tracks that are a little more considered, such as Maxi Jazz's soulful testament to his childhood hero "Muhammad Ali" and Zoe Johnston's sublime "Crazy English Summer", that will give this album a shelf life. In the wake of a meteoric year, the return of Dido (Rollo's sister) is both predictable and welcome: her soaring vocals teamed with intuitive production on "One Step Too Far" put Faithless on a mountain top. With such strong material in the can their live show beckons and those who are faithless will surely be converted. Wonderful.www.bbc.co.uk

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