DJ albums, like Patton solo discs, tend to be masturbatory affairs. This project, though, seems to have inspired each side to keep its worst excesses in check. Patton and the X-ecutioners both realized that overweening ego could blow up the soundworld they were trying to create, so each side stepped back a little, and the results are surprisingly listenable.
Yes, there are scratches and squiggles aplenty. And yes, Patton's passion for lounge and exotica gets indulged a little. But because of the way its brief tracks blur into one another, General Patton vs. the X-Ecutioners is a brisk, enjoyable journey rather than a slog. Patton's willful eclecticism makes it hard to judge which of his one-off projects is actually worth a fan's cash. This is one of the good ones.
