It's All About The Stragglers (Special Edition) [ECD]

CMJ - "...Super-catchy, effortless R&B melodies with edges just a tad sharper than that of a butter knife..." Entertainment Weekly - "...Lighter and softer than much American R&B, and poptronica tracks like 'Please Don't Turn Me On' and 'Twentyfourseven' inject sexual tension into a genre that's long been celibate....perfectly passable dance-diva pop sung by perfectly passable frontpeople..." - Rating: B

Does the Artful Dodger really deserve to recycle years-old tracks on their first "official" studio album? Mark Hill, along with a large cast of vocalists and co-producers, already released two own-productions-heavy mix albums (Rewind, Re-Rewind) when the 2-step/garage boom was trying to make a transatlantic move to American shores. This proper debut, finally appearing in 2000 (complete with ironic title), includes versions of every Artful Dodger hit to date, and those in versions usually inferior to the originals. The only difference in the new version of the originally excellent "Movin' Too Fast" is the removal of a precious few beats-per-minute, a tactic that doesn't work at all. Also appearing are no less than four radio edits ("Re-Rewind," "It Ain't Enough," "Please Don't Turn Me On," "Twentyfourseven"), none of which improve on the originals. For those curious about the heavy-hitters of the British garage scene, a good alternative is the excellent label compilation The Best of Locked On. [The Australian edition adds a bonus disc that offers 16 bonus tracks: one remix each of "R U Ready," "It Ain't Enough," and "Re-Rewind"; two mixes each of "Twentyfourseven" and "What You Gonna Do?"; and three remixes each of "Woman Trouble," "Think About Me," and "Please Don't Turn Me On".] ~ John Bush|