Midnite Vultures

11/18/1999 3:00 AM, Yahoo! Music
Rob O'Connor

He's like that phrase: jack of all trades, master of none. Which isn't a putdown. Really. Employers these days value versatility. They like someone who can make the coffee, trim the hedges, dabble in graphic design and have the McMillan file on the desk by noon. And Beck is just the man for the job. He's listened to enough music to know just how to twist it into his own thing while still making sure you know where he's lifting his ideas from. It's sort of like a Big Chill party with better actors.

For his "official" follow-up to Odelay (Mutations didn't count, says his record label), he's got the beat rate up and lots of faux funk happening: Stax horns, mock falsetto vocals, country ballad. Heck, "Hlwd. Freaks" sounds like a decadent L.A. rent party. This guy knows how to slum!