Most bands that make the same music for ten years, the opportunity at one point to be mercilessly put to the sword by the critics. The same cannot be said for the Fun Lovin' Criminals. All they bring in fact from the same cd for the fifth time with a sound somewhere between the Stereo MC's and at the time of The Clash Sandinista, yet they go nowhere bored. Through the sophisticated use of catchy melodies all songs sound like you've heard them before. You can basically already sing along halfway through the number. But yet it remains fresh. Toppers enough on Welcome To poppy's to again enough hits to score. So sounds You Got A Problem as the sequel to Scooby Snacks, but with slight influences of House Of Pain.

Considering they emerged within a horde of other faceless and long-since evaporated bands blending hip-hop, soul, alternative and other rock, blues and country-beats - - that FLC are even around for a fifth album demonstrates they are either moronically tenacious, unbelievably lucky, or simply good at what they do. There is something to be valued about their uncomplicated, sincere way of doing things; musically, while not unsophisticated to begin with and developing steadily throughout the albums, honing their craft and expanding their influences, they have never let this progress interfere with their captivating formula, but rather have painlessly assimilated it and simply improved while retaining what worked in the first place. Lyrically, while any pretensions to gangsterism are absurd and thus well served by Huey’s conspicuous sense of comedy (I doubt he could actually muster enough energy to hackle a scumbag politician on TV, let alone commit any crime other than smoke dope - if you still consider this harmless relaxation method to be a jail-worthy felony), and while any analysis of "This Sick World" should be left to someone better equipped to deal with such (or any) grave matters – they do have to sing about something, and in these cases one gets the feeling that Huey is mostly channeling people he met, knew, or observed rather than telling it like he experienced it on any mean streets he may have accidentally encountered, while being perfectly frank about his pleasantly self-gratifying lifestyle otherwise. While the album kind of loses momentum on its last third or so, it never descends to tedium, due to the straight-forward, crisp production and accomplished musicianship; and scattered amid the established FLC blends, you will find well executed ventures into approximately cohesive Ska-Punk (Lost It All), House Of Pain territory (You Got A Problem), and heavy metal (Baby) – all stirred to perfectly chilled temperature by Huey’s laid-back vocals, no matter how aggressively the band rocks around him. You really get the feeling that these guys would be just as content – and just as appropriately featured – in a small pub, medium club, or giant stadium; and in these days of preposterous pretentiousness, overwhelming deliberate ignorance, and overlabored production – FLC’s approach is a breeze of smooth sanity and a welcome measure of smiling, Fonziesque cool. If you’ve never liked them before, there will be nothing here to change your mind; if you do enjoy them regularly or casually, there will be nothing here to put you off; and if you are not acquainted with them, this is as good a place to start as any, and you can easily find this album for a very decent price, too. In a sentence: all around good, entertaining, groovy fun.