Fatboy Slim
Palookaville
Release Date: Oct 5, 2004
Genre(s): Electronic
Record label: Astralwerks
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Album Review: Palookaville by Fatboy Slim
Fairly Good, Based on 2 Critics
Based on rating 7/10
Looking back on Fatboy Slim's discography, Palookaville is up against some stiff competition, which makes it the low point only because it isn't another beginning-to-end stunner. The Fatboy himself -- Norman Cook -- had given plenty of hints in the press before the album's release that this was going to be different. He went through marriage problems and declared a renewed interest in hip-hop over dance music, dance being a genre he sees as going through another dry period.
Based on rating 3/5
The amiable Norman Cook has grown rich on the proceeds of one idea - he pastes together a vocal line from Song A and a rhythm track (could be funk, could be house) from Song B, creating an irritatingly catchy Song C (eg 1998's Rockafeller Skank). It's been four years since Cook's last album, which is exactly the time it has taken for "Check it out now, the funk soul brother" to stop whirling around one's head. Presumably, Fatboy intends to restart the process with album number three.