The Prodigy – Always Outnumbered, Never Outgunned / 2004 Maverick / 12 Tracks / http://www.theprodigy.com / http://www.maverick.com / Reviewed 03 November 2004
Different blips forcing their way from the periphery to the mainline of things, The Prodigy are back with their “Always Outnumbered, Never Outgunned”. The global flow of “Spitfire” comes through with the middle-Eastern sound of the female backing vocals, and the male presence in the track is reminiscent of Zach from Rage Against The Machine. Continuing the same general sound that as found in “Spitfire”, “Girls” doesn’t honestly contribute much to “Always Outnumbered” besides sounding like a Sheep On Drugs or Lolita Storm track. The hard-edge synth line is what makes “Girls” a possible club super-hit; the rest of the track seems to lose itself amongst legions of similar songs. Keeping the continuity for one synth line during “Memphis Bells”, the rap-styled backbeat makes the track stand out amongst all the flaccid fodder that the band has whipped up during the first part of the disc.
Twista seems one track too late; the stop-start nature of the backbeat for “Gwet Up Get Off” seems out of place when compared to the much-more proper beat of the aforementioned “Memphis Bells”. The harsh lines of “Get Up Get Off” make Twista’s own flow seem darker than on any previous recording. “Hot Ride” is the first track on “Always Outnumbered” that is beyond any repair, with each part of the track, whether it be the played-out guitars or distorted vocals, only making the track more of a mess. Coming back into the land of milk and honey during “Action Radar”, the innovative synth lines and harmonics of Paul Jackson push “Always Outnumbered” in ways that the previous tracks hadn’t. Mixing a fast delivery reminiscent of rap with the punk vocal sneer of a Johnny Rotten, Paul Jackson makes the near-6 minute runtime of “Action Radar” palatable.
Continuing to use a Middle-Eastern flair for the pseudo-instrumental “Medusa’s Path”, the lack of vocals on this track shows a key weakness to The Prodigy: namely, that the music laid down for the track is sold and fresh for about three minutes, but after that everything has been done before. The Prodigy have been doing music for over twelve years, and while some of their efforts have been laudable such as “The Fat of The Land”, this album seems to be a little too rough for mass consumption. Very few of the tracks actually are hooky enough to catch listeners, and a great many feel unfinished.
Top Tracks: Memphis Bells, Action Radar
Rating: 3.5/10