June 9, 1999

London WC2 LA2

Alive and kicking sure, but there's to be precious little jumping around...

Where once he was belligerent and hedonistic, nowadays Everlast is just happy to be here. A lot has happened since he quit House Of Pain. He almost died of a massive heart seizure, he's been born again (reputedly in both senses), and is intent on taking hip-hop to a new, more bluesy level. Alive and kicking sure, but there's to be precious little jumping around.

The past is here only to be ritually slaughtered. 'Jump Around', when it eventually comes, is crippled by tempo changes and jazz-inflected lurches of style. You'd have to be very determined to attempt even a mild hop along to it now. This contempt is due to Everlast's evangelical conversion to real instruments. As always with 'real' music, it can be very dull. These songs might shuffle to the hip-hop beat, but basically he's gone from blunted bliss to the blues rock of 'Get Down' and '7 Years', allowing his new musician chums the opportunity to perfect their noodling skills.

Yet while wild hooligan thrills might be out, when the mix of downhome maturity and horizontally funky grooves is right - 'Watch Me Shine', new single 'Ends' - he sounds like a chipped-granite Fun Lovin' Criminals. As second comings go, older, wiser and mellower may not be as exciting or as convincing, but that old Everlast is dead. The new one is just finding his feet.