On the record: Prodigy

Artist : Prodigy

Album : Always Outnumbered Never Outgunned (EMI Music)

No, it is not as groundbreaking as 1997's The Fat of the Land. But nor is it like the disastrous, stagnant Baby's Got A Temper from 2002.

Always Outnumbered Never Outgunned shows Prodigy struggling to survive in the techno scene. All in all, this record proves the efforts are not wasted, even if there are some misfires.

It's an album that still has what it takes to make people get up and dance, buoyed by thrusting beats with traces of funk and punk.

Standout tracks include Girls, reminiscent of early Beastie Boys; Hot Ride, with samples of Jimmy Webb's easy-listening classic Up, Up And Away, groovy Wake Up Call and delicate Medusa's Path.

With vocalist Keith Flint in absentia, actress Juliette Lewis lends her vocals here, but it's not a perfect replacement. Ditto with Liam Gallagher on Shot Down.

Some songs are too long and typical of dance tracks, while Phoenix, a techno number with tangible Middle Eastern flavor, is strictly weird.

Although it is too early to say whether Prodigy will survive, at least the group shows here that it's not lacking in the skill department. -- Hera Diani