Major Force West: Major Force West 1993-1997 (Mo Wax)
Before this release came along, getting your hands on the work of this Japanese hip-hop production collective meant a lot of searching and a lot of yen. A few tracks in, and it's easy to see why many have hunted high and low over the years for rare 12-inches. Simply put, where Major Force West went, other sound scientists invariably followed. Beats which skit and skid with panache, atmospheric works which evoke great cinematic canvases (check Mugen In The Morning for width alone), breaks which are always future-sounding and forward-looking: Major Force West were creating the sound of the 1990s without even realising it. Dig deep and enjoy.
- Jim Carroll
Dustin: Poultry In Motion (Lime Records)
It's Christmas-time, and the turkey raises his ugly head once again: this time, however, the all-singing, van-driving, name-calling Dustin is starting to sound a bit like last year's leftovers. To use the turkey's own terminology, this album is absolutely brrrutal, featuring unfunny parodies of The Mavericks (Spend The Night In Bray), Bagatelle (Christmas In Dublin) and The Vengaboys (Dustin Bus), pointless duets with Eamonn Dunphy, Christy Dignam and An Emotional Fish's Ger Whelan and, yes, Dustin, we have heard all those Lada jokes before. Sadly, Dustin is turning into a Dub version of Rod Hull's Emu, no longer entertaining, just irritating and a little offensive. Time to turn the oven on and cook that turkey's goose!
- Kevin Courtney
Culture Club: Don't Mind If I Do (Virgin)
The 1980s revival is a bit like the Celtic Tiger: not everybody gets to enjoy its benefits. While you're singing along to the latest hits from Blondie and Eurythmics, spare a thought for Boy George, who has brought Culture Club back together in the hope of reliving past glories. Ageing divas, however, seem to fare better than ageing queens, judging from the poor chart showing of the recent single, Your Kisses Are Charity. This is a competent, reggae-tinged collection of new songs, most of them miles better than Karma Chameleon, but it still feels dated, as though Culture Club are simply remixing their old cliches for a 1990s audience. A cover of Bowie's Starman adds a bit of glamour, but unless Culture Club can score a surprise hit single, Queen George may be relegated to Cinderella status.
- Kevin Courtney