SHAZAM

This album probably seemed like a good idea at the time -- after all, James Brown has made some of the world's most danceable music, so why not remix its inherent funkiness for the rave generation? Well, because it doesn't need it, that's why. But these 12 tracks do just that, with a handful of largely unknown producers taking many of the Godfather of Soul's greatest hits, adding relentlessly throbbing house beats, pushing the legend's charismatic vocals into the background, and reducing his amazing horn section to mere rhythmic punctuation. The results aren't as awful as they are totally unnecessary, and while a song or two might put a brief smile on your face when slipped subtly into a mix at your next rave, it's not the sort of thing you'd want to listen to straight through. ~ Bret Love, Rovi