It’s been a long four years since we last heard from the trio of Rocky, Diesel and Ashley Beadle, but X-Press 2 have returned bigger and better than ever with their second album. ‘Makeshift Feelgood’ is bursting with electronic, groove-ridden, inspired, mainstream dance music for the beautiful people who aren’t just into dance from the hours of 7pm Friday to 3am Sunday; but make no mistake, it will also appeal to the fair-weather weekenders out there as well. Combining Balearic inspired club beats with accessible pop sensibilities, ‘Makeshift Feelgood’ is immediately easy to fall into and just as contagious from the very first piano chord that makes up the instantly recognizable ‘Give It’ complete with a brassy blues gospel backing and guest vocals courtesy of Lambchop’s Kurt Wagner.
Guest appearances are an ongoing theme throughout and help to make ‘Makeshift Feelgood’ the delight to listen to that it is. A cover of Harpers Bizarre’s ‘Witchi Tai To’ is given a new lease of life with feel good disco pop and the vocal reworking of the Polyphonic Spree’s Tim DeLaughter instantly lifting the tone of the album. Amongst other contributors is The Music’s Rob Harvey on the broody, shifty and hypnotic ‘Kill 100’ which is arguably one of the best tracks on the album…even if it does employ Donna Summer’s ‘I Feel Love’ lyrics, but that’s besides the point. Radio 4’s Anthony Roman also takes a guest slot on the understated and minimalist housey ‘17’. Other highlights on this multi faceted album include the digitally laid back ‘Enjoy The Ride’ complete with lashings of bassy synths and the funky house electronica of ‘Light My Soul’. There’s a lot more to ‘Makeshift Feelgood’ than meets the eye which helps to set it apart from most dance albums out on the market. This is a record for the more sophisticated of dance music fans, featuring a plethora of instrumentation, sounds, ideas and refreshingly, lyrics and considered and well placed vocals.
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Despite X-Press 2’s musical progression, there is a blatant and more than slightly disappointing reworking of their previous hit ‘Lazy’ in the form of ‘The Answer’. However, this doesn’t diminish from an otherwise fine album. Not loosing site of their roots X-Press 2 also take a look back at the 1980’s with the slightly quirky ‘Last Man’ complete with synth hooks, Casio beats, obscure vocals courtesy of Kissing The Pink and more importantly a fantastic feel-good vibe which serves to end ‘Makeshift Feelgood’ on the high that it began with. A superb album, well worth the four year wait and hopefully album number three won’t be as long in the making.
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