Search - Ian Pooley :: Souvenirs

Slight disappointment

Track Suit | Calgary | 02/16/2005

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Just about every house music fan in the world has heard and loved Pooley's last outing - 'Since Then'. It was a definitive album proving that, in a genre constantly producing music with expiry dates of listenability, a timeless record could be made. Fast-forward 5 years later and the same genre Pooley propelled himself to the forefront of with 'Since Then', is now gasping for breath, in desperate need for reinvigoration.

While showing traits of his patented quirky originality and smooth latin influences in several songs, Pooley has opted for a richly textured take on standard dancefloor fare, ala Kaskade and the like. While there are sure to be some club hits surfacing from this album, they do not match the more subtle quality of 'Since Then' for repeated listens. At times, the light and fluffy approach is taken to the extreme and ends up producing the worst song on the album - 'Hotel Boogie'. A flamboyant and jazzed up affair that leaves a bitter aftertaste and requires several sweet songs afterwards to wash out. But I guess that's what the 'skip' feature is for.



Overall, not quite up to my high expectations for this album, but with several songs that deliver and a couple more that might just grow on you."