Chromeo – White Women (Big Beat/Atlantic)
This Canadian electrofunk duo has always drawn from ’80s acts such as Hall & Oates — the Chromeo guys even collaborated with the blue-eyed soul group on a jam session in 2008. So it’s no surprise that they go back to that same well on their new studio effort. “I ain’t with it,” they sing over and over on the album’s funky opening number that features those thick, snappy bass riffs that were popular in the commercial pop music of the ’80s. The soulful “Sexy Socialiate” also owes a debt to Hall & Oates. The falsetto vocals are really killer. “Come Alive,” a collaboration with Toro y Moi, also brings the funk in a serious way and “Over Your Shoulder” is just as catchy as the Daft Punk/Pharrell Williams collaboration “Get Lucky.” There’s nothing particularly deep and meaningful about the tunes here but given the success of other like-minded acts, this is the right album at the right time if you’re looking for good summertime jams.
This article appears in May 21-27, 2014.
