Luscious Jackson: Fever In Fever Out

Music doesn't get much cooler or more joyful than it is on Luscious Jackson's new Fever In Fever Out: The members of the four-woman band, too often regarded as mere Beastie Boys protégés, find an irresistible groove throughout the album's well-conceived 14 songs. The group's early recordings, particularly 1992's introductory In Search of Manny EP, hold up today as slippery, inventive, sinister party music. But Fever In Fever Out shows a more mature band that sounds even more at ease with itself, like it doesn't feel obligated to slather on Beasties-style samples and effects to find a groove. (The fact that the band members are becoming better singers and players helps—as does its selection of N'Dea Davenport and Emmylou Harris as occasional backup vocalists.) The result is a seamless feast for hipsters, and an assured album that could and should conquer dance floors in the months to come. And even if Luscious Jackson can't break out of its Beasties-inspired pigeonhole in the minds of the record-buying public, fans and adventurous newcomers will still be treated to a massively enjoyable melange of pop, dance, jazz, funk and pure style.