Album Review: Riva Starr - Hand In Hand

Italian producer Riva Starr dropped onto dancefloors everywhere in 2010 with his remix of Reboot's Enjoy Music, yet though the track saw him momentarily embraced by mainstream clubland, his past and future lay elsewhere. Having produced for Skint and Norman Cook's Southern Fried label several years earlier, Riva Starr quickly returned to that territory with his 2010 album, If Life Gives You Lemons, Make Lemonade, and has stayed there for his new set, Hand In Hand.

Invoking the spirit of the great 'eclectic' or 'leftfield' albums from the likes of Groove Armada and the Fatboy, Riva Starr takes influences from sources old and new, flirting with tempos fast and slow. The opening tracks flaunt a quirky indie-blues feel; Pulp Fiction on ecstasy. The brilliant, unforgettable Kill Me is very Fatboy with its indie-ish vocals, strings, breaks and rushing build-ups, while the kitschy Am I Not Alone reminds of the sounds The Wiseguys peddled in the late '90s with its '60s pop motifs, breaks, organs and surf guitars. The filtered Nobody's Fool and mellow In The Morning delve into more refined dance sounds while Detox Blues makes the ironic connection between euphoric, classic house pianos and depression.

The set gets better as it goes. The Care Song, with its mash-up of rootsy reggae and a classic hip hop break is a killer; ska meets house (hello 1989!) on the Roots Manuva-featured We Got This Ting and infectious title track, while the unmistakable voice of reggae legend Horace Andy graces the sublime strings of Dublife. A joyous album, sounding more 2003 than 2013, on Hand In Hand Riva Starr throws caution to the wind, making the music he wants to hear. We do too.