It may have taken seven years for the space cowboy and his merry band of funksters to return with some new music but the result has been worth the wait.
Presuming, of course, you already dig the group's danceable grooves.
While Automaton is fresh and funky it is, inevitably perhaps, more of the same. The wheel isn't reinvented as much as it is buffed up to a super-slick polish.
That said Jay Kay and co. do make a solid go of exploring new sonic textures and possibilities without straying too far from their particular brand of head nodding, dancefloor disco.
As the title suggests, however, things here aren't as organic as they once were. The album has a heavy electronica influence, featuring retro synths, icy arpeggiated melodies, stompy house beats and bubbling basslines.
