By Jan Vranken 
After fifteen years of silence, one of the most idiosyncratic bands of the nineties returns this week with “A Matter of Time”, and it feels as though we never left the grimy clubs of New York where it all began. But this is no longer Huey Morgan’s Fun Lovin’ Criminals – this is Brian ‘Fast’ Leiser’s show, and he demonstrates that he’s ready for the spotlight.
Huey Morgan’s departure in 2021 could have meant the end for the band that gave us “Scooby Snacks”, but Leiser and drummer Frank Benbini picked up the gauntlet with a determination that seeps through every groove. With new guitarist Naim Cortazzi on board, who not only raises the band’s hunk level immensely but is also a world-class guitarist, the trio delivers an album that sounds both nostalgic and surprisingly fresh.
“A Matter of Time” feels like a journey through Manhattan’s back streets, where genres clash and merge as only FLC can manage, but with more guitar than ever before. Opener “The Face of the Giants” immediately begins with that unmistakable Leiser shuffle, that gritty groove the band is so beloved for. Delightful too is that little organ line racing underneath, and then, yes, there’s Cortazzi’s first wah-wah solo. A promising start. “What It Is” opens again with guitars, track upon track layered as if Brian May were standing behind Cortazzi, but with an irresistible groove. Notable is Benbini’s distinctive UK accent that you hear here – it’s no longer just NYC we’re hearing; the band has become cosmopolitan without losing its idiosyncrasy. “Full Stop”, with its irresistible riff and pounding drums, was released as a single earlier for good reason. This will be a banger live, without doubt. “Little Bit Further” takes us back in time to a disco, or a roller disco, from the late 1970s. Glitter and a cucumber in your lurex suit – life was a party.
Production-wise, the album sounds grand thanks to Grammy winner Tim Latham, who manages to balance the band’s raw energy with modern clarity. The soundscapes have become richer, the arrangements more complex, but without losing the spontaneity that has always characterised FLC. Cortazzi’s guitar work colours everything beautifully, layer upon layer, solo upon solo. Leiser’s voice may lack Morgan’s characteristic bravado, but it brings an intimacy that gives the songs a new dimension. Lyrically, the album grapples with themes of change and time, fitting for a band that has reinvented itself. There’s melancholy, but also hope—bitterness, but also liberation. Clearly, Leiser and Benbini will never become a Lennon and McCartney, but in terms of this delightful music suited for parties and festivals, they’ve found their form together. With Cortazzi as the one who colours everything magnificently with guitar, guitar and more guitar, this is one of the best, if not the best, Fun Lovin’ Criminals album. “A Matter of Time” proves that this band was more than just the sum of its parts, and that sometimes a crisis is precisely what’s needed to become relevant again. The criminals are back, their best heist in years is about to begin, and we are the fortunate victims. (8/10) (Kilohertz Records)
Maxazine South Africa