Oui Oui, Si Si, Ja Ja, Da Da

With their constant Madstocks and concerts, Madness never went away, but their 2009 album The Liberty of Norton Folgate -- their first album original material in ten years -- felt like a full-fledged comeback, a return to the brilliant form of 1982's The Rise & Fall, the album that firmly positioned the band in the grand tradition of British pop. Oui, Oui, Si, Si, Ja, Ja, Da, Da, the 2012 sequel to Liberty, proves the 2010 comeback was no fluke, with its equally clever and confident collection of savvy pop and ska, tunes that are effervescently melodic, lyrically nimble, and giddy with their dexterity. With an opening song that posits itself to be an explicit sequel to Madness' signature hit "My Girl," this certainly recalls Madness' new wave glory days, but Madness is under no illusion that they're still a young band. If anything, they're reveling in their advancing age, relishing the opportunity to look back -- in their heart they always were nostalgic -- and enjoying playing pop, soul, ska, reggae, and R&B with their old mates. But Oui, Oui isn't living in the past, it's using the past to address the present, which gives some soul to these nifty little songs, and turns this album into another mini latter-day gem from the Nutty Boys. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine