Approved by the mysterious J.D.Slazenger, the second album by Canadian-cum-Berliner
Mocky isn't as shocking as he himself might hope. Sure, this is not the typical "R&B" (get the pun) fluff, but as has been proven by
Super_Collider and
Har Mar Superstar before him, white-boy laptop funk is a dicey proposition when the skin of the joke is too thin.
Are + Be gets it right more often than not, tagging '80s blue-eyed soul with guest
Jamie Lidell on "How Will I Know You," and solo on the brooding "Ready to Go." But the songcraft on "Mickey Mouse Muthaf****!" with Ad Hawk was no better when
El Debarge did it in the '80s, and his rap on "Catch a Moment in Time" makes
the Streets'
Mike Skinner seem like
Rakim in the lyrics department, although the baritone of Kitty-Yo guest
Taylor Savvy almost saves the cut. With more syrup and less bark than his peers,
Mocky seems to take this stuff just a little too seriously. We all hold a soft-spot for
Hall & Oates, but that shouldn't let them dictate the sound of a whole album circa 2004. ~ Joshua Glazer