Kish Kash - Basement Jaxx

With two full-length masterpieces behind them, Basement Jaxx still hadn't recorded a bum note, nearly ten years after getting together. But while their third record, Kish Kash, is still miles ahead of the various formula relied upon by scores of dance producers, it isn't the same filler-free party classic as Remedy and Rooty. In fact, it reveals the duo perhaps relying too much on their own formula, the jumped-up Prince production with tech-heavy percussion and effects exploding all over the mix. Granted, Buxton and Ratcliffe ably deflect most criticisms with this LP, shot through with high-profile collaborations -- nearly all of them intriguing tracks with star turns. Post-punk hero Siouxsie Sioux shows various electroclash victims just what it means to be a post-modern diva for "Cish Cash," while *N'Sync's J.C. Chasez is a surprising success on the beguiling "Plug It In" (though the final few minutes are so close to Prince the track becomes more rip-off than homage). Teenage garage-rap sensation Dizzee Rascal turns in a fabulous outr? performance on "Lucky Star," but the Indian filmi sample driving the song displays Basement Jaxx in a light they've never been in before: behind the times. There's really no way to make a splash with a third full-length that sticks so close to the formula, even one they helped create; Kish Kash may be the best dance record of 2003, but it's the least imaginative LP the duo have ever released. ~ John Bush, All Music Guide