Faithless
Outrospective

THE REVIEW

This is the third work by Faithless, the duo composed of rapper Maxi Jazz (vocals) and Sister Bliss (keyboards), with the addition of Zoe Johnston on backing vocals (replacing Dido both in the creation of the work and on tour as she was busy with her first album "Here With Me," which turned out to be a great success and did not allow her to actively collaborate with the group as before).

Released in 2001, it follows Reverence (1996) and Sunday 8 p.m. (1998), the two albums that made them well-known particularly for the successful dance hits "Insomnia" and "God Is A DJ".

"Outrospective" is their definitive consecration, from the first to the twelfth track it is a cascade of emotions.
It starts with "Donny X", an intro that reprises the text of "Reverence" and leads to very varied but still beautiful tracks.

Some are great dance pieces that are very danceable such as "We Come One" (an authentic nightclub anthem, the first single released and the most famous song of the tracklist) and "Tarantula", others are rap such as "Not Ennuf Love", "Muhammad Ali" (the second single released, it's a rap track with a very fast-paced rhythm clearly dedicated to the famous boxer, Maxi's childhood idol), "Giving Myself Away" (a reflective song about a romantic relationship of the rapper) and others that are slower and more melancholic like "Crazy English Summer", "Evergreen" and the closing "Liontamer", all three very well interpreted by the backing vocalist Zoe Johnston.

There are also two instrumental tracks, namely "Machines R Us" (with a very fast rhythm that is often interrupted and closes with a carpet of keyboards creating a very suggestive relaxed atmosphere) and the short but touching "Code" (a minute and a half track very simply played with the piano but at the same time very touching, listen to believe!).

In the middle of the album is "One Step Too Far", the only song that features a collaboration with Dido (incidentally the sister of Faithless' producer, Rollo Armstrong), and one of Faithless' major successful singles.

Throughout these twelve tracks, a sense of melancholy prevails which is probably the source of the charm of their third effort.

A unique album that I truly recommend listening to.

P.S.: this is my first review, I hope I did a decent job