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Music > Albums > Madness - The Dangermen Sessions Vol 1 (2005) Retail CD
added on February 8, 2007, at 20:25 by garethleatham

A new Madness album? Not only has The Dangerman Sessions emerged, but the appearance of the "Volume One" tag means that there will be more in store. And judging from the quality of this first volume, that's good news indeed. Always unfairly pigeonholed as quirky near-comedy (an impression provided by their array of excellent hit singles, but a world away from the true sound of the band), the dearth of recent material has seen the band out of spotlight and out of favour; hopefully the punch of this album should help set the record straight on both counts. In short, this is excellent. Satisfyingly bass-heavy, and suitably bouncy, Suggs' familiar vocals make this equally familiar and unknown; even the familar sounds of The Supremes' "You Keep Me Hanging On" and Desmond Dekker's "The Israelites" sound re-invented - the latter most radically as a woozy, loping retooling. Everything else is certainly up to scratch, especially the string-laden "Rain" and the spunky "Taller Than You Are". In short, a brilliant and welcome return for a much missed band. --Thom Allott

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