Album Review: Yolanda Be Cool - Ladies & Mentalmen

Aussie dance pairing Yolanda Be Cool speak no Americano, or so they say. Their breakthrough electro track, We Speak No Americano – a collaboration with DCUP – was released in 2010, which makes Yolanda's debut album a little overdue. Ladies And Mentalmen is a 16-track assortment that includes collaborations, club bangers and a bit of old skool nostalgia that suggests the lads have flair and may be around for longer than a clock stroke.

Le Bump, featuring Crystal Waters, is typical club fodder: loud, brash and catchy. The clock winds back with the Gurrumul-assisted A Baru In New York, one of the strongest tracks on the album, while current hit, Change, is a distinct cut with dark, sweeping strings that back up the repetitive chorus. Love Keeps includes Barbara Tucker's significant voice over what sounds like a grand piano, creating a soulful song that could pass for a Defected release. The '90s influence persists with the garage-like down-tempo To Be Alone, which is hardly surprising as it has Omar on vocals.

Ladies And Mentalmen is a pleasant revelation and the music has more parallels with what was popular in the late-'90s/early-noughties than what's doing the rounds today. There are singalongs, a touch of yesteryear, nods to classic house and a minimal blend of modern electronica that refrains from being cheesy, for a change. So, Yolanda Be Cool are, indeed, somewhat cool cats who have delivered a variety-packed musical treat that isn't rammed with monotonous 'rapping' or extra-long build-ups that last longer than a John Farnham farewell tour.