As well as creating the perfect shorthand for what big beat actually is and setting Cornershop up for a career-changing No 1, Norman "Fatboy Slim" Cook has had musical reasons of his own to be cheerful in 1998. The Rockerfeller Skank single was an instant summer boom tune while the On The Floor At The Boutique mix album brought the Fatboy groove to the masses. There's plenty of evidence on You've Come A Long Way Baby to suggest more juice to come.
Naturally, there's a formula and it's dragged out again and again. There's no subtlety here, just one banging partytune after another, a conveyor-belt of scuzzy go-crazy stormtroopers created by cartoon boffins in a secret lab in Brighton. Mix with a large dollop of humour and you're halfway to Fatboy heaven.
Jim Carroll
Rae and Christian "Northern Sulphuric Soul" (Grand Central)
This is the closest British dance music has come to matching the epic sweep of Massive Attack's Blue Lines. Directed by Manchester DJs and producers Mark Rae and Steve Christian, it's a freewheeling collection of hip-hop styles and attitudes which merges soulful notions with DJ Shadow intrigue. Rae and Christian have a passionate feeling for hip-hop's many nuances and the fact that such leaders of the new rap school as Jeru Tha Damaja and the Jungle Brothers have collaborated with them is proof that this feeling is reciprocal. But it's when divas such as Texas crooner Shirleen Spiteri and Manchester's own Shirley Bassey, Veba, take to the mike that it really goes on fire. Veba, in particular, is a find, a girl with a voice which will stop you in your tracks and which, on the majestic Spellbound, resonates with heartfelt emotion. The sound of people in love with music.
Jim Carroll
McAlmont: "A Little Communication" (Hut)
David McAlmont has tried many guises over his career but none has struck such a sweet note as this. Rather than following an indie route as with Thieves and Bernard Butler or crooning on soundtracks for Dave Arnold, A Little Communication allows his soul to shine through. If you've followed the Marvin Gaye vibes down the line and enjoyed what new-school soul boy Maxwell has to offer, this is the logical next step. This is low-key and late-night, a work of love about all sides of love. It's McAlmont taking chances and actually thriving on the subtle yet erudite interplay between his voice, his lyrics and the languid musical backing. Tracks such as Lose My Faith, Who Loves You? and especially The Train (with the biting line You only want me 'cause of how good I make you look are delicious, brimming with a power and passion rarely spotted in modern soul.
Jim Caroll
