- Thirteen - brave title for an album, seeing as it's unlucky for most people! Master H needn't be worried though, for he's just gone and made one of the best house records of the year, another in a long line of quality French albums from the likes of Motorbass, Cassius and Daft Punk.
H shows himself to be equally at home in the song based pop as he is for instrumental, funky house cuts. It's two of these funksters that get the album going, 'Mayflower' starting out deceptively basic before shaking its hips, and 'F Word' (that's funk, of course!) a feelgood party tune. The Cassius similarity shows in 'From Here To Space', while the music acquires more of a Van Helden edge in 'HQ', a collaboration with respected Glaswegian DJ Q, satisfyingly heavy on the bass. 'Don't Stop is the pick of the vocal tracks, featuring Louise Marchell, and there's a taste of Latin in 'Us'. The title track meanwhile throws a nod in the direction of David Morales with its soaring synth line.
It's good to report a house music album with so much personality, humour and verve - all in the best French tradition. If you're not at least tapping your feet during this then I'd love to know why! Safe to say that 'Thirteen' has that certain 'joie de vivre'...
Tracklist1 Intro
2 Mayflower
3 F Word
4 Magic K
5 Thirteen
6 Don't Stop
7 Sainte Cecile
8 Us
9 From Here To Space
10 HQ
11 Ramadan Break
12 C'est La Vie
13 Reprise