X Factor: Volume 1
Richard X
(Virgin)
Reported Saturday, September 13 2003
Courtesy of Jonty_Adderley @ www.skrufff.com
"It's pop music, it's here today, gone tomorrow. It can be so effective and so powerful, but there's no point in wondering whether it'll be here in 10 years time; because most of it won't."
Speaking to Skrufff recently, man-of-the-moment Richard X seemed well aware that his current status as pop producer/guru do jour may well be short-lived, though even if that's so, his debut album X Factor Volume 1 is certain to be a defining album of 2003. Featuring 13 examples of his simple though supremely effective formula of mixing retro songs with contemporary singers, the album perfectly captures Britain's musical zeitgeist, combining manufactured kareoke type popstars of the day (Liberty X, Sugababes, Kelis) alongside club-land players including Tiga and ex Pulp man Jarvis Cocker.
The result is an album that's both accessible and enjoyable, appealing as much to MTV and Radio 1 as it does to the ironic dance floor moments at 80s flavoured dance floors like Nag, Return to New York and 333's electro nights. Featuring all his previous hits (notably his number 1 Gary Numan sampling smash Freek Like Me and the Chaka Khan inspired Being Nobody) the album's also distinguished by new tracks like Tiga's You (Better Let Me Love You Tonight) which confirms the Canadian DJ's abilities as a seriously talented singer.
Sweetly satisfying and highly (almost over) refined, Volume 1 is a multi-flavoured, high calorie Mars Bar of an album that'll help you work, rest and play (as long as you avoid over-indulging.)
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