Gossip – Music For Men (Sony)

Beth Ditto is fat. And a lesbian. When Gossip burst into the mainstream with Soulwax re-mixed 'Standing In The Way Of Control' she found herself to be something of a new media darling. Journalists delighted in highlighting her obvious and immediate differences and the general public took notice of her bolshy 'take me as I am' attitude.

As a consequence many casual observers know of Gossip solely for her beguiling presence. Sure '...Control' permeated many a set of speakers, but for a band that garnered so much press, they still haven't sold a startling number of records. To most people, the story was seemingly more interesting than the music.

Of course Gossip have already proved to be more than a flash in the pan, this being their fourth album to date. However in terms of mainstream success, this record might very well prove make or break (there's only so long that one can ride the coat-tail of Skins).

Getting Rick Rubin on board certainly wasn't a bad idea. The venerable producer has been responsible for classic albums right across the musical spectrum, from Jay-Z to Johnny Cash to Slayer. Unsurprisingly, Music For Men is in general terms much more polished.

But the end result of the media-storm, the celebrity friends and the superstar producer is still the same Beth Ditto, and ultimately the same Gossip. "If there's a risk, I'll take it," she cries on '8th Wonder', but while she is used to subverting preconceptions in magazine columns, her music has only slightly evolved.

Veering more towards the dance end of previous efforts, Gossip have upped the funky bass-lines but generally stuck with what has worked [see lead single 'Heavy Cross']. As '2012' peels into "My heart may never beat again baby/Have you got the best of me?", Beth Ditto crowns the album's most alluring moment. The track roots itself in a muted riff more suited to an Interpol album but is delivered with an unerring verve well capable of setting a few dance-floors a-light.

Ultimately though, nothing on Music For Men will have the same impact as '...Control'. After-all the first big hit was accompanied by the Beth Ditto story, second time around we just have the music for company.

Rating: 2.5/5

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Artist: The Gossip Title: Music for Men Released: 06/10/2009 Buy Now \| View Details	Artist: The Gossip Title: Standing in the Way.. Released: 24/01/2006 Buy Now \| View Details

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Gossip's official website
http://www.thegossipmusic.com

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Gossip on MySpace
http://www.myspace.com/gossipband

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Published: 22/06/2009 at 23:52
Author: Andrew Lloyd
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