Kraak & Smaak – not a cheesy reference to illicit drugs but an adapted Dutch proverb which means crunchy and tasty, which couldn’t be a more apt moniker for the Dutch trio of Wim Plug, Oscar de Jong and Mark Kneppers. From the phat synth squelch of the opening track ‘Bobby& Witney’ the quality of this brilliant album never gives up until the last note of there Fender Rhodes. Singer of the moment – Ben Westbeech guests on the ‘should be a classic’ Squeeze Me, an irresistible mix of funky drums big string stabs and Ben’s bluesy soulful voice. The mood is then switched to the housy left-field alternative funk of ‘Plastic People’. Enzo flips things down again with a master class in Balearic, and were only on tack four! Then comes along one of the highlights which is both brilliant and strange at the same – a trip-hop cover of Man of Constant Sorrow, the bluegrass anthem from ‘O Brother Where Art Thou?’. A song that has seen many incarnations throughout its 95-year life-span, and none more mystifying than here. This is swiftly followed by ‘That’s My Word’ featuring Dudley Perkins from Stones Throw fame, another long time artist the guys have wanted to work with. Cornered and California pick things up again if only to let the left field jazzy ‘Think Back’ act as an interlude to atmospherically drenched ‘ll Serpente’. ‘Ready For Love’ provides yet another twist of styles, followed by the party good times grooves of ‘Aint Gonna Take It No More’. Closure comes in the form of the majestically structured ‘To Everyone Who Has’, acting as a full stop to the album and a beautifully crafted DJ journey at the same time. This is all glued together by the trademark sound of Kraak & Smaak, an album with more ideas than the total sum of bicycles in all of Holland, and without a doubt one of the albums of 2008.
5 Out Of 5
Reviewed By: Martin Madigan
