Fatboy Slim: Norman Cook.

Additional personnel: Jonny Quality (vocals, guitar); Lateef (vocals); Justin Robertson (guitar, bass guitar); Aldo Vanucci (sampler); Sharon Woolf (background vocals); Damon Albarn, Bootsy Collins.

Heavy-hitting DJ Norman Cook (AKA Fatboy Slim) brings the Big Beat back on 2004's PALOOKAVILLE, a record that rivals Cook's previous efforts for imagination, groove, and fun. Cook's particular skill lies in creating a collage of genres from his seemingly never-ending vault of vinyl, bringing them all under one happy, party-time umbrella. The lead-off track, "Don't Let the Man Get You Down," for example, blends gospel vocals, Latin-tinged polyrhythms, and a snippet from Five Man Electrical Band's "Signs," with flashes of robotic IDM sounds, for good measure.

PALOOKAVILLE is a bit more textured and chilled-out than Cook's earlier albums. The acoustic-guitar-based "Put It Back Together," for instance, sounds like the clubby equivalent of a campfire sing-along. "North West Three" is based around the refrain of John Martyn's folky "Primrose Hill," and is true to the feel of the source, despite Cook's additional edits and beats. On the disc's most notable track, "The Joker," Cook re-imagines Steve Miller's hit as a piano-laden funk tune with the one-and-only Bootsy Collins on vocals. This is not to say the record doesn't feature Slim's infectious techno beats, however. The nervous, skittering "Slash Dot Dash" and the distorted, bass-heavy "Long Way from Home" prove PALOOKAVILLE packs a serious punch.

What the critics say...

Spin (p.115) - "'Slash Dot Dash' turns a two-note bass riff and a percolating surf beat into a manic go-go freak-out..." - Grade: B
Uncut (p.99) - 3 stars out of 5 - "[T]here is still something life-affirming about the bounce and brashness of the Fatboy's fourth album..."
Alternative Press (p.156) - 3 out of 5 - "PALOOKAVILLE offers yet more fun funk/blues-rock mashups for unpretentious gatherings of all sorts."