Album Review: Madness - Oui Oui, Si, Si, Ja, Ja, Da Da

Oui Oui, Si, Si, Ja, Ja, Da Da is the tenth, yes tenth, studio album from ska-pop veterans Madness. After over 30 years together, countless tours and scoring some pretty prestigious gigs (Diamond Jubilee anyone?), Graham 'Suggs' McPherson and crew continue to prove that you can't keep a good band down.

Oh nostalgia! If Suggs' singsong voice wasn't enough to take you on a trip down memory lane, opening track, My Girl 2, obviously a follow-up to 1979's My Girl, should do the trick. The lyrics are simple and the beat is catchy, which should come as no surprise to any Madness fan; if there's one thing this group has always done well, it's a rhythm that gets your whole body moving along with it.

By the second track, Never Knew Your Name, you know this album's not about experimenting or evolving their sound, it's about just doing what they do best. Following track, La Luna, sees the outfit inject a bit of Latin salsa into the mix, and it keeps things interesting. How Can I Tell You, arguably the best track on this album, has great energy and sounds as if it could've been lifted off any of their albums from the '80s.

There's no denying that Madness hit their peak in the '80s, there's nothing on this album that even comes close to Our House or It Must Be Love, but they're not flogging a dead horse just yet either. Their latest release is still brimming with bouncy, skankin' good times, but without a real standout track in sight it might be time to start celebrating the back catalogue… again.