The BPA - Norman Cook - Various Artists Album Review
written by Iain Robertson
‘Phenomenal’ is the only word to apply in describing the latest effort of The Brighton Port Authority, a handle which becomes obvious, when you attach Norman Cook’s name to it. For it is NC’s latest departure to attempt to grab a grand for his efforts, very few of which actually shine in this disparate, disjointed, ill-judged ensemble of some usefully heroic names, borrowed vocals and archetypical drum and bass. It is phenomenal that Norman Cook, even in league with co-producer and fellow noise-maker, Simon Thornton, could fail to hit the target once more.
I cannot help but wonder what happened to the Fatboy Slim of old, whose on-the-button awareness seemed to sneak up on listeners, grabbing them by their trailing shirt-tails, giving them a gentle jostle but, remarkably, managing to hook them into the whole Brighton rock phenomenon. Norman! For heaven’s sake, move the game on a bit. You know that you can do it!
I Think We’re Gonna Need A Bigger Boat is more like a half-capacity dredger, which is serving up skip-loads of virtual dross, with each scrape of the bottom. Okay. So Zoe’s hubby has managed to engage Iggy Pop, Jack Penate, Martha Wainwright, Olly Hite and Jamie T, to join his tea party, but I happen to think that they should remain on-board and turf Norman into the St Lawrence. This is a bored and boring concoction that scarcely gets off the blocks, let alone attempts to complete a lap without complaining about catching a crab or three. Not even the inclusion of the brilliant David Byrne can save this boatload from the bargain bin. To add further insult to the injuries, Norman even attempts to sell this steaming pile of detritus as a ‘product of the ‘70s’.
My suggestion is that you should not waste your money. Perhaps Norman will pull himself up by the boot-straps and learn from this lame adventure, or just quit the scene altogether and resort to beachcombing.
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