Gift Of Game (EU)

２MCを擁し、ヘヴィー＆ミクスチャー・バンドの中でも最もこなれたヒップホップ感覚を持つクレイジー・タウン。非凡なミクスチャー・センスだけでなく、ヘヴィー・ナンバーでの唸りをあげるメタリック・ギターやツーバスをドコドコ鳴らすサウンドが最高にかっこいい。HR&HM的醍醐味満載の1999年リリースの1stアルバム。

Alternative Press - 3 out of 5 - "...new metal has come full circle, as Crazy Town's debut has the potential to find itself all over the airwaves. The funky disco jam 'Darkside' threatens to take this oeuvre to the dance floor for the first time..." Q - 3 stars out of 5 - "...Straddles the increasingly blurred worlds of rock and rap....Hardly original , but lots of mosh-pit fun all the same." CMJ - "...the band throws a blazing Molotov cocktail of raps and riffs right into your living room....sure to blare out of jeeps and set off scores of mosh pits."

Crazy Town's debut album, The Gift of Game, is similar to many other rap-inflected alternative metal albums in that it concentrates on sound over structure, creating macho, aggressive grooves with grinding, noisily textured guitars and the underlying feel of squared-off hip-hop beats. Hooks can be a bit hard to come by, since this isn't music that relies heavily on melody (or catchy guitar riffs), but that isn't necessarily a consideration for fans of the style. What's more relevant than the tightness of the songwriting is the intensity of the assault, and on that count, Crazy Town delivers the goods. Moreover, they're refreshingly skilled in the rap department when compared to some of their contemporaries, and the album bolsters its credibility with guest appearances from KRS-One and Mad Lion, to name two. Of course, Crazy Town's audience will be largely outside the hip-hop community, but it's evidence that they can be more serious about a truer fusion of genres when they want to be. There are elements of Limp Bizkit's juvenile humor, to be sure, but overall, the album shows promise. ~ Steve Huey|

'99年1月のデビュー時は、まさに「知る人ぞ知る」状態。売上もそこそこだったへビィ･ミクスチャー･バンドの彼等が､シングル⑥をリリースするや否や､全米チャートに飛び込んであっという間に大ブレイク!今や押しも押されぬ人気の彼等をチェック! (C)YKYM