Fat Boy Slim: Palookaville

By RUSSELL BAILLIE

(Herald rating: * * * )

Norman Cook comes to his third Fatboy Slim album off the back of the best thing he's ever done. But that was producing Blur's brilliant Think Tank and there is a bit of hangover evident here - the band's Damon Albarn warbles over Put It Back Together, one of a few tracks which don't sound like typical Cook but something more - and this isn't a word that often crops up - meaningful.

It still boasts quite a bassline, as do much of the rest of the dozen tracks here. It sounds like he's allowing for a few steps outside the formula established by this album's big bouncy predecessors.

But it doesn't quite do enough that's fresh to admire for its bold new direction - even if there is an apparent emphasis on real instruments over the sampler's cut'n'paste button.

It still comes with its own attempts to recreate the fizz of Right Here, Right Now and Rockafeller Skank on the likes of Don't Let the Man Get You Down, the reckless velocity of Slash Dot Slash and the frenetic Jin Go La Ba. And it's the anthems you remember over the curiosities in between them. While finishing with a cover of Steve Miller's chestnut The Joker is a punchline that hits the floor with a thump.

Label: Skint