This came out in 1999 – or at least that’s when I got it. Here’s what I said about it back then (with some minor editing):
A few years back, it seemed like Fun Lovin’ Criminals wanted to be the Beastie Boys. Now it seems they’re leaning closer to a new trio of role models: Shaft, Slaughter and Superfly.
Yep, the New York City goofballs behind the 1996 novelty hit Scooby Snacks — a head-bobbing, frat-boy rap anchored by a chunky guitar riff and Reservoir Dogs samples — have grown up a bit, mellowed out a bit, and followed Quentin Tarantino into blaxploitationland.
You can hear it all over their surprisingly sophisticated sophomore CD 100% Colombian; in the wah-wah guitars, punchy horn lines, piccolo-high conga drums, late-night saxes and sweet strings of songs that could have been lifted straight from Curtis Mayfield and Isaac Hayes’ greatest hits.
And let’s not forget the love daddy, Barry White. He gets the biggest props of all from the boys, who namecheck the king of boudoir soul on the slinky homage Love Unlimited: “Barry White saved my life / If Barry White saved your life / Or got you back with your ex-wife / Sing Barry White / It’s all right.” Oh baby, it sure is.
It’s even all right when they boys stray from the soul power tip. One tune takes a Bo Diddley slide guitar riff and twists it into a rockin’ ode to Korean-owned convenience stores; another features none other than B.B. King playing a tasteful solo (like he knows any other kind) over a boozy, retro-swing ballad; others venture into Led Zeppelin crunch, Sabotage-style rap-rock and even country-metal.
It’s hard to say what holds it all together. Maybe it’s the vocals — instead of the House Of Pain-style gang screaming of their earlier album Come Find Yourself, 100% Colombian finds Huey, Fast and Steve taking turns, putting a little emotion in their voices and even crooning a note or two.
Or maybe it’s the pitch-black humour of the lyrics: Try as you might, you can’t help but smile at the gleeful absurdity of lines like “Supermodels on my D, 1 2 3 / He said ‘2 for you, 2 for me’ ” and “Had me walking around mumbling shit like I was Latka.”
Whatever it is, it’s clear the Fun Lovin’ Criminals have finally found their own sound. Now, they can finally be the band other folks want to be.
