Handsome Boy Modeling School

Five years after their rightfully revered debut, So...How's Your Girl?, brainiac producers Prince Paul and Dan the Automator return with Handsome Boy Modeling School's a-little-too-smug sophomore release, White People. Like the title, a good third of the album feels a bit too forced. Another third is fair, but the remainder is stunning -- mostly song-based and mostly non-irreverent. Rappers Del tha Funkee Homosapien and Casual catch fire on their tracks, but otherwise it's up to the folks from the pop and rock realm to really bring it to the table. They do, with solid songs that could exist outside of Handsome Boy's heavy-with-concept world. Expect Jamie Cullum and John Oates' pop-solid "Biggest Mistake" to show up on a Christina Aguilera album sometime soon. Cat Power's track is so well formed you have to wonder what the reaction will be when a Handsome Boy fan encounters one of her indie, skeletal, and spent early albums. Sounding like Paul Simon for the hoody generation, Jack Johnson's "Breakdown" is a surprising success and the last of the album's true highlights. While not as stunning as their debut, White People still has plenty of signs that these Handsome Boys haven't lost their touch. [White People was also made available in a clean version, with all explicit material removed.] ~ David Jeffries, All Music Guide