Basement Jaxx - Crazy Itch Radio
England’s most prominent house duo Felix Burton and Simon Ratcliffe, better known as Basement Jaxx, have been putting out Prince-worshipping funky house since the early 90’s. Their diverse and eclectic style has evolved over the decade resulting in their 2003 album Kish Kash, a testament to the unbridled fervor of maximalist house. But they are no more immune to the inexorable march of time than any other band and for better or worse, we find in their latest album Crazy Itch Radio a more mature and subdued Basement Jaxx shying away from the excesses of their past work.
Crazy Itch Radio doesn’t deviate from the Basement Jaxx formula of a stellar cast of guest vocalists and a healthy dose of musical eclecticism. The concept behind the album is a loose narrative of the trials and tribulations of an everyday romance, lending the album a thematic unity not seen in their earlier LP’s. The Latin rhythms of “Hush Boy” tell the tale of a less-than-perfect dinner at a Mexican restaurant, while the bouncing banjos of “Take Me Back to Your House” describe the encounter from a female perspective. As the story unfolds, the album continues its frenetic shifts in style with the riotous Gypsy saxophones of “Hey You” and the hyperactive hooting chorus of the samba-inflected “Run 4 Cover”.
Sadly, the album begins to settle into a plodding R&B groove by the midpoint of the album and the last half of the album is something of an unfulfilled promise, as the Jaxx close out with uninspired house cuts that never come close to matching the ecstatic kitsch of “Good Luck” or “Romeo.” “Everybody” reaches hard for an elusive hook but instead settles for a sped-up Bollywood sample, while album closer “U R On My Mind” fades to black without ever establishing a sense of identity and finality.
In the end, the Jaxx have fared far better than most musical acts that have lasted this long. Well into their second decade of existence, the duo still have a seemingly endless supply of musical ideas and no shame in their cultural pilfering. Crazy Itch Radio is subdued and at times predictable, but it’s only glaring fault is that it never aspires to reach the heights of the previous Jaxx albums, instead settling to be a enjoyable album content to follow the formula set forth by its predecessors, albeit with a great deal more restraint. Still, at the end of the day I’d take an average Jaxx record over most any other house album, a testament to the enduring playfulness and inventiveness of those two oddball Brits.
Grade: B
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