Fatboy Slim

HALFWAY BETWEEN THE GUTTER AND THE STARS

(Astralwerks)

Norman Cook (Fatboy Slim) has certainly come a long way, baby, and his latest album, “Halfway Between the Gutter and the Stars,” shows he can still go a lot further.

The latest from the funksoulbrutha is a sample-driven collection of danceable and sing-along synth-tunes that for the most part simmer rather than boil. Recruiting such popular artists as Macy Gray, Roland Clark, Bootsy Collins and even the late Jim Morrison for some tracks, the album requires some serious booty shakin’.

He doesn’t get as slaphappy on this album as he did on previous effort “You’ve Come a Long Way, Baby.” His sound has matured and is more refined, especially on his incredibly sample with the late Morrison on “Sunset (Bird of Prey).”

Opening song “Talking Bout My Baby” is a bluesy song that begins with a happy tickling of the ivories and ends without any indication or warning.

“Ya Mama” is by far the best song on the album, sampling the lyric “Push the tempo/shake what your mamma gave ya” to a heart-pounding, cymbal-driven dance track.

Most of the samples used are nothing spectacular, but Slim utilizes them accordingly with the rave-ish theme of “Star 69” to the straight-up boogie-rock of “Mad Flava.”

“Weapon of Choice” manages to marry a jazzy Lou Bega-esqe theme to a deep and intriguing voice, complete with a catchy-as-hell chorus and innocent organ line.

“Demons” is a progressive number that shows promise in the first minute and 45 seconds, continually meshing new samples beneath a man giving an emotional speech, then unfortunately molds into another basic and predictable dance track.

The album concludes with the melodic and easygoing “Song For Shelter,” which features Clark and Roger Sanchez. Female voices sing R&B choruses over a quiet piano, giving the song a loungey, church-choir feeling.

With his unique mix of old-school acid-funk and technofied hip-hop once again displayed on this album, Slim chose to tone down the hyperactivity of his sound by drinking his coffee with cream and sugar, instead of drinking it black.