A real Latin feel

(Morning Star, Friday 27 July 2007)

ALBUM: Cat Empire - Two Shoes
(Universal)

IF Cat Empire could place a personal ad to attract new fans, it would go something like this: "Aussie six-piece with penchant for jazz fusion seeks ridiculously joy-filled listener for many hours of aural pleasure."

The Cat Empire make music for parties. They enjoy mixing styles up in a big pot of glee and spewing out rock-funk-ska-jazz all over their records. And so they should, they're bloody good at it.

Their third record Two Shoes is a winner for the world music-straddling colossus, reaching the dizzy heights of summer on virtually every track - a Cuban summer of heat and passion, not a soggy British summer.

There's a second on track Days Like This when the human heart is actually at its happiest, so thrilled with the clever lyricism and cheery salsa rhythms that it may well burst.

Recorded in Havana the album has a real Latin feeling, layering trumpets and sax with driving percussion and creating a rich wall of music to dance to. As far as music goes, this is designed to make your life better - all you have to do is bow down to the Cat Empire.