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Fatboy
Slim
Halfway Between the Gutter and the
Stars
label: astralwerks
released: 11.07.00
our score: 3.5 out of 5.0
buy it: here
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Big beat house... it's a beautiful
thing really. It can transform a seemingly random churning of
bodies on a dancefloor into a synchronized display of love for
a higher power. A power of soul and the love held therein - a
love shared by countless individuals worldwide. A love and feeling
of inner peace shared by those spiritually enlightened individuals
- the club kids.
Doubt if you will, but not before
listening... no, feeling a Fatboy Slim record. In the dark
club late at night; on the dancefloor as sweat drips down your
face. As you wipe it off, smile, and keep right on moving.
Halfway Between the Gutter and
the Stars will enlighten
you. It will take you to that place where it's ok to have fun.
It's ok to move. It's ok to love.
Fatboy Slim's third record (under
the moniker Fatboy Slim) marks a maturation in the big beat style
he has all but trademarked through his last two offerings, Better
Living Through Chemistry and You've
Come a Long Way Baby. The maturation is made obvious within
the first few seconds of the opening track, "Talking Bout
My Baby," a piano-driven soulidified number in the vein of
"Praise You." However, instead of continual use of repeated
samples, this time around Mr. Cook has put more focus on creating
songs with lyrical lines and verses layered upon the samples he
has made himself famous through.
The use of vocalist Macy Gray on
the funkdified "Love Life" and the haunted extended
segue of "Demons" are the results of Fatboy's soul searching,
especially after the massive (albeit unwanted) pop status he achieved
after 1998's You've Come a Long Way Baby. Toss in guest
vocals from Parliament Funkadelic's Bootsy Collins on "Weapon
of Choice" (the album's truest dance track), Roland Clarke
(of Armand Van Helden's "Flowerz" fame) on the closing
dance opus, "Song For Shelter," and the ghost vocals
of Jim Morrison on "Sunset (Bird of Prey)" and the transition
from funk to soul of this brother is made abundantly clear.
If you
liked Halfway Between the Gutter and the Stars...
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| Tracklist:
1.
Talking 'Bout My Baby
2. Star 69
3. Sunset (Bird of Prey)
4. Love Life
5. Ya Mama
6. Mad Flava
7. Retox
8. Weapon of Choice
9. Drop the Hate
10. Demons
11. Song For Shelter
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