X-Press 2 - Makeshift Feelgood Album Review

X-Press 2
Makeshift Feelgood
Album Review

The trio of Rocky, Diesel and Ashley Beadle are most famous for the bringing us the massive pop hit "Lazy" on their debut record. Now four years on, and they are back with the new record Makeshift Feelgood.

Firstly, this is mainstream dance music with more musicality than you would usually expect from a genre that is often branded as brainless & youthful, X-Press 2 write songs for the more mature dance music lover. Featuring many guest vocalists, piano, lashings of guitar and synthesised riffs, Makeshift Feelgood is fun, groovy, danceable, and well...listenable.

Highlights include the laid-back, digital funkster "Enjoy The Ride" the synth-house offering "Kill 100" with soulful vocals from Rob Harvey, and the slightly minimalist house cut "17" with Anthony Roman's vocal's bringing an understated haunting quality to the piece.

You can sense a lot of effort has gone into this record, and although their is not much going on in the originality stakes it's still marginally better than the majority of contemporary dance records hitting the market. Still, and rather unfortunately, Makeshift Feelgood just lacks enough strong material to enter "great album" status.

Colin Burrill