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If the album title seems self-assured, it's only truth in labelling. For his last album of the millennium, rock's greatest guitarist teams with an old compatriot (keyboardist Tony Hymas, a staple since 1980's There and Back who co-produces here with Beck) and one of his musical godchildren (Jennifer Battin, long-time tour guitarist for Michael Jackson). The result is a rough musical travelogue of the 80s and 90s that occasionally turns down a dead end. The synth-sequenced backdrops and terse phrasings of "Psycho-Sam", "Blast from the East", and "THX138" recall the fusion reactions on Wired and There and Back (and pose a seemingly heretical notion: did Beck invent techno?). "Space for the Papa" recalls the no-frills structure of Guitar Shop. "Angel (Footsteps)" showcases Beck's unique tone and phrasing, evoking Santo and Johnny swinging on a star, while "Another Place" offers up elegant classicism. "Hip-Notica" proves there's still funk in Beck's blood, even if "Declan" gets mired in New Age overkill
Tracklist
1 "Dick Shawn ""It's A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World"" dialogue sample"
2 What Mama Said
3 Psycho Sam
4 Brush With The Blues
5 Blast From The East
6 Space For The Papa
7 Angel (Footsteps)
8 THX138
9 Hip-Notica
10 Even Odds
11 Declan
12 Another Place