There is an old fashioned feel to the music of Crooked Man. It’s all about having a good time, and to do that Richard Barratt, whose project this is, casts his net back to the early 1990s when he was making music with Richard H Kirk as Sweet Exorcist. The result is a no holds barred album of dancefloor brilliance, in tracks like ‘Scum (Always Rises To The Top)’ or ‘This Machine Kills Me’, where vocals, beats and productions are perfectly aligned for house mayhem. The more downbeat ‘Try Me’ and ‘Coming Up For Air’ are effective too, while ‘Happiness’ is a bona fide piece of classic house that could have been imported from a time capsule. Barratt isn’t just about harking back though, as his way of working brings past and present together effortlessly – but in the end just casts them aside to create havoc on the dancefloor. You’ll be too busy dancing to worry what style it is!
Ben Hogwood
5 out of 5
