Crazy Itch Radio, the fifth studio album from Basement Jaxx, including The Singles, is a typically adventurous effort from the duo who can't see the barriers that exist between every genre of music. It's all fine and well mixing styles, but the question that needs to be asked is : Can Basement Jaxx combine them to create a compulsive, credible and listenable album?

The simple answer is : How can they not? The band has combined musical categories before (Romeo), and they know fine well that they are capable of it. Crazy Itch is a departure from the norm, from the comfortable dance sounds Remedy and Rooty, and the result is a melting pot of all different cultures, with a whole range (possibly the whole range) of instruments used throughout the album, from American-style banjos all the way through to Balkan folk instruments, trumpets and accordians. The tracks each have their individual style, but they all retain one thing ; the danceability that is injected into each song, and each song is saturated with the trademark Jaxx style. The production values of this album were obviously extremely high, with the usual array of special guest singers, with highlights including Lily Allen on Lights Go Down and Martina Sorbara on Take Me Back To Your House, and this decadence has seeped throughout the entire album. From the overly (but not incorrectly) dramatic Intro, through to the finale U R On My Mind, each track emits charm and charisma, helped by the structure of a radio station, with several DJs 'hosting', and even advertisements for local bars' happy hours. This idea helps to create a free-flowing album, with the sense of a personal mix C.D. made just for you, with the traditional interludes making a return, acting as links between songs, rather than just breaks. As with all C.D.s of this kind, there is some inconsistency when listening to individual tracks, but to so major as to ruin your enjoyment of this masterpiece.

On first listen, this album appears to be somewhat of a lacklustre excercise from the dancefloor gurus, but it is only on subsequent listens that the real genius of the tracks begins to shine through, before grabbing onto your emotions and never letting go. A selection of songs on this album are truly powerful. The contrast between them caters for everyone's tastes, and also emphasises the impact of each particular track. Case in point : Brilliantly placing Take Me Back To Your House before Hey U helps to heighten the happy, care-free atmosphere of the former, and accentuate the sombre loss that one cannot shake whilst listening to the latter. Lights Go Down is also sung beautifully, creating a [] atmosphere, and the magnificently cheeky Run 4 Cover can't fail to bring a smile to your face. U R On My Mind is a perfect finish to round off such a perfectly executed work of art, and the bonus track glued to the end of it makes it all the better!

All in all, the amount of sheer hard work that has obviously been channeled into the making of Crazy Itch Radio, and in turn creating my song of 2006, Hey U, makes this an album highly worthy of purchase, capable of providing fans with years' worth of listening (and dancing) pleasure, converting usual non-listeners of the genre, and melting the staunchest hearts of even the iciest of stalwart dance-opposers' hearts.

10/10

(Haunting lyrics, bassline backbone, invokes emotion, skill., maturity/growing up.)
First draft, work still needs to be done to fully complete this article. :)