Outrospective  (Audio CD) 
by Faithless

From the outset, with Donny X's spine-tingling synth-swathes and brooding sub-bass, it's evident that Outrospective plays to Faithless's strengths. The band has always been more than just a dance act. Deft practitioners of all areas of modern music, their specialties are texture, seductive atmosphere, and haunting melodrama. The single "We Come 1" has a familiar sound, combining Rollo's unnerving soundscapes, Sister Bliss's dance-floor mentality, and rapper Maxi Jazz's deadpan voice to recall the power of "Insomnia" from their 1997 release Reverence. "We Come 1," like "Tarantula" and "Machines R Us," also represents an increase in bpms that reasserts their club relevance--something which had diminished with their last long-player, the downcast Sunday 8pm. There's also a more up-tempo vibe present, with the gorgeous "One Step too Far" featuring the inevitable appearance of Rollo's sister Dido), and the Philly soul of "Muhammad Ali," with Maxi Jazz singing the praises of his childhood hero. But the lure of their third album, as ever, lies in Maxi Jazz's chilling monologues. The voice of inner thoughts, desires, and conflict, there's nothing quite as arresting as when he quietly muses on "Not Enuff Love": "Money in my pocket / But I just can't give no love." --Dan Gennoe