Unable to see the writing on the wall, it seems like Stereo MC's are no longer connected--their scene came and went nearly a decade ago with their 1992 dance hit, "Connected."
Dance music has become a more fragmented and sophisticated genre in the past ten years, moving past The MC's hip-hopped techno sound.
With Deep Down & Dirty, the band has failed to meet the upgrade requirements now set forth by such artists as Moby and Paul Oakenfeld.
Many of the tracks, particularly number 8 are strikingly reminiscent of the MC's earlier cd, as whispery vocalist Rob Birch very nearly replaces "Connected" with word Traffic to the same drummed up techno backdrop mixing it up a bit with a little help from a wurlitzer.
Live shows have always been a strength of the Stereo MCs and maybe those will be able to pull the group into the twenty first century. If not, devoted fans will enjoy the return to the arachaic sound but new comers will find Deep Down & Dirty a relic of an age gone by.
