100% Columbian

Rolling Stone (2/4/99, pp.59-60) - "...Subtle it's not, but the Criminals' obviousness is part of their sleazy charm..." CMJ (1/25/99, p.26) - "...a more soulful and overall mellower endeavor, FLC's second platter smoothes over its rough-edges by encompassing rumbling hand-jive, jazz-rock, hollowed-out NYC punk, free-flowing vintage R&B and the finger-lickin' blues power of B.B. King..."

Fun Lovin' Criminals got a lot of mileage out of their Scorsese-meets-Beasties-meets-Reservoir Dogs shtick on their first full-length album, Come Find Yourself. Their stoned, funky grooves brought them an MTV hit in America and, inexplicably, critical acclaim in the U.K., where their New York attitude came across as...well, not genuine, but at least an authentic parody from a knowing source. Eventually, the British acclaim eclipsed the moderate U.S. success, so it shouldn't be surprising that they tailored their follow-up, 100% Colombian, to the very things the British press loved -- the tongue-in-cheek humor, the cartoonish gangsterism, the dope, the funk- and rap-inflected grooves, the cheeky pop culture references. It's a little jazzier, a little slower, a little more cinematic than its predecessor, which means it's more cohesive, as well as more sonically appealing. Of course, it's possible that the average listener -- one who wasn't charmed or amused by Come Find Yourself and "Scooby Snacks" -- will never discover this, since Huey's self-satisfied rapping and smug lyrics can be exceptionally grating if you're not smirking along with him. But if his '70s mob movie fetishism and ironic celebration of da streets uv Noo Yawk seem humorous, chances are 100% Colombian will feel even better than Come Find Yourself. Everything's cool, everything's shmoove, put the money in the bag. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine