Housekeepin'

If you're looking for another "Fix My Sink" from DJ Sneak on Housekeepin' look away now. His top 20 hit last year was a marked departure from the Puerto Rican's usual trademark filtered rasping house of yore.

In its place, raw, uncut P-funk of the Bootsy Collins variety matched with Maceo-like brass, trippy bass guitar licks and a euphemistic vocal hook from Bear Who? smacked of an unearthed joint from the '70s.

"Fix My Sink" tapped a winning fomula, which although repeated here on "Funky Rhythm", with Sneak handling a spoken lead, fails to ignite the touch paper in the same sizzling fashion as its predecessor.

Vocalist, Bear Who? - whom I'd like to picture as a cuddling/sparring partner much like the overweight lover called Sneak, reappears on the upcoming Latin-kissed single, "Que Pasa" which is already attracting supporters from outside of his usual hardcore underground following.

Elsewhere the influences on Housekeepin', his third and certainly most accessible long-player, range from Steely Dan on "Incredible" to disco darlings Yarbrough & Peoples on the retro sounding "Morning Come" (younger readers think Black Eyed Peas' "Shut Up").

His current love for hip-hop and respect for producers like the Neptunes and the Roots can also be heard sporadically throughout the dozen-track opus. Likewise his Hispanic roots are not forgotten: "Salsa Elektrika" pays tribute to fellow Puerto Rican and pioneering house producer, Ralphie Rosario.

However, the one real surprise here is that this is an album full of edits rather than extended mixes tailor-made for the clubs. So, if you're a DJ/clubber this album isn't going to score very highly in the Value For Money stakes. That said, we aren't left in any doubt as to the musical direction that Sneak now wishes to follow.