Prodigy - Always Outnumbered Never Outgunned

Prodigy came bursting onto the mainstream electronica scene with the 1997 release of Fat of the Land. Hyping the fusion of rock and techno, Madonna's Maverick label and marketing geniuses lined up, getting ready to cash in on the next big thing of the late-1990’s. Prodigy wasn't a stranger to the genre as the rave-masters had been breaking the sweat of youngsters on many dance floors since the early 90’s. However, Liam Howlett, the driving force behind Prodigy, changed gears with his mates and took on a more commercial appeal. Over six years have passed since Fat tore up the charts. The marketing niche has faded but the Prodigy sound hasn't. With the 2004 release Always Outnumbered, Never Outgunned, Howlett has changed the band lineup and dropped frontman Keith Flint (the Firestarter himself) for a number of guest appearances with the likes of Princess Superstar, Kool Keith, Juliette Lewis and more. The bombastic beats and searing chants return right from the start as the intro track “Spitfire” screams more flame-shooting techno crunch. ”Girls” is an electro roller coaster that proves the production wizardry of Howlett can change his bitch-slapping pitch up. “The Way Up” samples the "Thriller" beat of Michael Jackson and transplants it into the scare category that the original probably intended. I don't see any reason why, however, Always Outnumbered took more than half of a decade to pump out, as most of the testosterone charged tracks act as a tight follow-up to Fat of the Land. The formula still works; it just would be nice to see the skills of a very talented producer progress with the new technology and evolved sounds. But that's probably not what the label wanted, unfortunately. [www.theprodigy.com]